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CRUISE     OF     THE     "ALERT.' 


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M^:.-^'<,am^»Li^i-m^ 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "ALERT." 


FOUR    YEARS    IX 


PAT  AGON  I A  N,      POLYNESIAN,      AND 
MASCARENE     WATERS. 

(1878-82.) 


HY 


R.    \V.    COPPINGER,    M.D. 

(Stafi'-Surgeon  Royal  Na\'Y,  C.M.Z.S.) 


With   Sixteen  f nil- f  age   JVoodctit  lUiistratioits  from  Photngraphs  hy 
1'.  North,  R.K.,  and  from  Sketches  hy  the  Aiif/ior. 


SECOND    EDITION. 


NEW    YORK : 

R.    \V  O  R  T  H  I  N  G  T  O  N, 

770,    BROADAVAY. 
1SS4. 


4t>5  u.vnTRsm-  OF  c^ifor.vu 

^77  ^-^-^^A   BARBARA 


PREFACE 


IX  preparing  the  following  pages  for  the  press,  I  ha\-e 
endeavoured  to  give  a  brief  account,  divested  as  much 
as  f)05sible  of  technicalities,  of  the  principal  points  of  interest 
in  Natural  History  which  came  under  observation  during  the 
wanderings  of  a  surveying  ship ;  while  at  the  same  time  I 
have  done  my  utmost,  at  the  risk  of  rendering  the  narrative 
disconnected,  to  avoid  trenching  on  ground  which  has  been 
rendered  familiar  by  the  writings  of  travellers  who  have  \'isited 
the  same  or  similar  places.  And  if  in  a  few  instances  I  have 
given  some  rather  dry  details  regarding  the  appearance  and 
surroundings  of  certain  zoolc^cal  specimens,  it  has  been  my 
intention,  by  an  occasional  reference  to  the  more  striking  forms 
of  life  met  with  in  each  localit)-,  to  afford  some  assistance  to  those 
amateurs  who,  like  myself,  may  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
opportunities  afforded  by  the  sunejing  ships  of  the  British  Navy 
for  performing,  although  with  rude  appliances  and  \-er}-  few  books 
of  reference,  some  useful  and  interesting  work. 

Large  collections  of  zoological  specimens  were  made,  and  as 
these  accumulated  on  board,  they  were  from  time  to  time  sent 


\  iii  Prcjacc. 

home  to  the  Admiralty,  whence  they  were  transmitted  to  the 
British  Museum,  the  authorities  of  that  institution  then  submitting 
them  to  specialists  for  systematic  description.  For  much  kindly 
aid  in  making  these  arrangements,  as  well  as  for  advice  and 
encouragement  received  during  the  progress  of  the  cruise,  I  am 
indebted  to  Dr.  Albert  Giinther,  F.R.S.,  Keeper  of  Zoology  in  the 
British  Museum. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  Mr.  Frederick  North,  R.N., 
for  the  use  of  a  collection  of  photographs  which  were  taken  by 
him  during  the  cruise  under  circumstances  of  peculiar  difficulty, 
and  of  which  most  of  the  engravings  in  this  work  are  repro- 
ductions. 

I  am  also  under  obligations  to  all  the  other  officers  for  assist- 
ance rendered  to  mc  in  various  waj-s  ;  and  especial !)•  to  those 
officers  who  acted  successively  as  Senior  Lieutenants,  for  the 
consideration  with  which  they  tolerated  those  parts  of  my 
dredging  operations  that  necessarily  interfered  with  the  main- 
tenance of  good  order  and   cleanliness  on   the   ship's  decks. 

Finally,  I  have  to  thank  inj-  friend,  Mr.  R.  Bowdler  Sharpc, 
the  distinguished  ornithologist  of  the  British  Museum,  by  whose 
advice  and  encouragement  I  was  induced  to  submit  these  pages 
to  the  public,  for  his  assistance  in  perusing  my  MS.,  and  offering 
some  useful  suggestions. 

R.  W.  C. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


PAGE 


Object  of  the  Voyage— Former  Surveys  of  Straits  of  Magellan— Change 
of  Programme — Selection  of  Ship — Equipment — Arrangements  for 
Natural  History  Work— Change  of  Captain— List  of  Officers    .         .   1—4 


CHAPTER    I. 

Departure  from  England — Storm  Petrels — A  Sparrow-hawk  at  Sea — • 
Collecting  Surface  Organisms  with  Tow-net — Water-kite — Wire 
Sounding  Apparatus — Land-swallow  at  Sea — Gulfweed — Phospho- 
rescence of  Seawater — Arrive  at  Madeira — Curious  Town — Dredging 
Work — A  Pinery — Discoloured  Seawater— Petrels  again — St.  Vin- 
cent— Cape  de  Verdes — Pelagic  Animals — Sounding  near  Abrolhos 
Bank — Dredging  over  Hotspur  Bank — Dredging  over  Victoria  Bank 
— Moths  and  Butterflies  on  the  Ocean — E.xtraordinary  Vitality  of 
Sphynx  Moths — Arrive  at  Montevideo — Gauchos— Trip  into  Interior 
of  Uruguay — Buenos  Ayres — Dr.  Burmeister's  Museum — Arrive  at 
the  Falklands — "Stone  Runs." .S— 33 


CHAPTER    II. 

We  enter  Straits  of  Magellan — Reach  Sandy  Point — Gold  and  Coal- 
Surrounding  Country — Elizabeth  Island — Dredging — Fuegians  at 
Port  Famine — We  enter  Smyth's  Channel — Canoe  "Portage"  at 
Isthmus  Bay — Arrive  at  Tom  Bay — A  Fuegian  Family — Trinidad 
Channel — CUmate  of  Western  Patagonia — Flora — Rock  F'ormation 
— Soilcap — Natives — The  Channel  Tribe  of  Fuegians — Scarcity  of 
Old  People — Water-birds  of  Tom  Bay — Sea  Otters — A  Concealed 
"Portage"  —  Habits  of  Gulls  and  Shags — Steamer  Ducks— Land- 
shells — Freshwater  Fish — Deer 34 — 65 


Contents. 


CHAPTER    III. 


I' ACE 


Trinidad  Channel  gouged  out  by  Glaciers — Port  Henry — Trumpet-shells 
— Native  Camp — Wolsey  Sound  —  "Cache  Diablo"  —  "Ripple- 
marked"  Limestone — Fuegian  Burial-place — Marine  Animals — 
Strange  Capture  of  Fish — Whales  Abundant  -  Kxploration  of  Picton 
Channel — Attack  on  Sealers — Signs  of  Old  Ice  Action — "  Hailstone" 
Rock — Soil-motion  —We  proceed  Northward  to  Refit  —  Knglish 
Narrows — Gulf  of  Peiias 66 — 80 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Arrival  at  Valparaiso — War  between  Chili,  Peru,  and  Bolivia — Sir  George 
Nares  returns  to  England — Captain  Maclear  joins — Coquimbo — 
Shell  Terraces  Trip  to  Las  Cardas — Habits  of  Ptcrnptochiis — 
Island  of  St.  Ambrose — Habits  of  Petrels — Flight  of  the  Albatross — 
Santiago  de  Chile — Natural  Historj'  Museum — Santa  Lucia— Church 
of  La  Compania — Heights  of  Montenegro — A  Fly-trap  Plant — 
Copper-mines  of  Brillador — Peculiarities  of  Chilian  Mines — Talca- 
huana — Outbreak  of  Small  Po.x — Isla  de  Los  Reyes — Shooting  a 
"  Coypo  " — Railway  Trip  to  Araucanian  Territory — Our  Locomotive 
— Incidents  of  the  Journey  —  Fossil  Tree-trunk  at  Quinquina 
Island 81—102 


CHAPTER    V. 

We  return  to  Fatagonian  Waters-  Gulf  of  Peiias-  Spring  in  the  Trinidad 
Channel  Gcphyrean  at  Cockle  Cove  -Diving  Petrel  -Tree  Cor- 
morants—  Magellan  Kingfisher  —  A  Curious  Moss  Wind-swept 
Bushes— Gull,  Cormorant,  and  Skua— E.xamination  of  Brazo  del 
Norte— Black-necked  Swan  -A  Sealer's  Yam  Fur-seal  Trade  - 
Hardships  of  Seal-hunting— Otter  Skins  Experiment  with  Condor— 
Fuegians  at  Tilly  Bay  -Flaking  Glass  Arrow-heads  List  of  Fuegian 
Words— The  Maran/iense—A.  Magellan  Glacier— Native  Fish- 
weirs-  The  .Magellan  Nutria        10.5     126 


Cotitents.  xi 


CHAPTER    VI. 

We  proceed  towards  Skyring  Water  -Otway  Water— Canal  of  Fitzroy 
Terrace-levels— Plants  and  Animals— Bay  of  the  Mines— Previous 
Explorers— The  Coal  Mines— Altamirano  Bay— Prospects  of  the 
Settlement- A  Seal  "  Rookery  "  — Puerto  Bueno  —  We  proceed 
Northwards — Port  Riofrio — Gray  Harbour-Sailing  for  Coast  of  Chili 
— Small  Pox  amongst  the  Chilians — Discoloured  Sea-water — Habits 
of  Ant  Thrush 12/"— Mi 


CHAPTER    Vn. 

Early  History  of  Tahiti — Otaheite  and  Tahiti — Its  appearance  from  Sea- 
ward— Harbour  of  Papiete — Produce— Matavai  Bay — Tahiti  an- 
nexed to  France — Prince  Tamitap — Annexation  Festivities — King 
Pomare  V. — Coral  growing  on  Ship's  Bottom — Nassau  Island — 
Danger  Islands — Tema  Reef — Union  Group — Nukunono — Oatafu — 
Natives  afflicted  with  a  Skin  Disease — Stone  Implements — Religious 
Scruples — Metal  Fish-hooks  not  appreciated — Capriciousness  of 
Sharks— Lalla  Rookh  Bank 144— 15J 


CHAPTER    VHI. 

Arrival  at  Fiji — Levuka — Ratu  Joe  comes  on  Board — Excursion  to  Bau 
in  Viti  Levu — We  visit  King  Cacobau — A  Native  F"east — Lalis — 
Tapa— The  Bure  Kalou— Bakola— Old  Fijian  Atrocities— Double 
Canoe — Stone  Adzes  now  becoming  rare — Angona  Drinking — Sir 
Arthur  Gordon — Walk  across  Ovalau — The  Kaicolos — An  Imprudent 
Settler — Pine-apple  Cultivation— /'f;-/y//;///«/w«J-— Suva — Site  of 
Future  Capital — Sail  towards  Tonga  Islands — Pelagic  Animals — 
Early  History  of  Tonga — Missionaries— Nukualofa — A  Costly  Pair 
of  Gates — Visit  to  Bea — Davita — Evidence  of  Elevation  of  Island — 
King  George  of  Tonga — Wellington  Gnu — Curious  Stone  Monument 
—Trip  to  Village  of  Hifo— We  are  entertained  by  the  Natives- 
Famous  Caves— Eyeless  Fish— Swifts  behaving  like  Bats— Searching 
for  Reefs— Discolouration  of  Seawatcr-  Return  to  Levuka  Voyage 
to  Australia-  Surface  l.ife  ......■•  159 


xii  Contents. 

I'AGP. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Refitting  Ship  at  Sydney — Mr.  Haswell  joins  us — We  proceed  North- 
wards along  East  Coast  of  Australia — Port  Curtis,  Queensland — 
A  "Labour  Vessel" — Mr.  Eastlake — Marine  Fauna  abundant — 
Festivities  at  Gladstone — Birds — Percy  Islands — Survey  of  Port 
MoUe — Queensland  Aborigines — "Black  Police" — "Dispersing" 
Black  fellows — Dredging  Operations — A  Parasitic  Shell-fish — Port 
Denison — ^Visit  to  a  Native  Camp — Throwing  the  Boomerang^A 
Beche-de-mer  Establishment  at  Lizard  Island — Hostility  of  the 
Natives — Drawings  by  Aborigines  at  Clack  Island — Albany  Island, 
North-Eastem  Australia i8o — 193 


CHAPTER    X. 

Settlement  at  Thursday  Island — Torres  Straits  Islanders — Pearl-Shell 
Fisheries — Value  of  the  Shell — Pearls  not  abundant — Neighbouring 
1  slands — Lizards — Landcrab — Landshells  —  Ferns  —  Birds  — ■  Booby 
Island — Arrive  at  Port  Darwin,  North-Westem  Australia — Sub- 
marine Cables — Trans-continental  Telegraph — Palmerston — North- 
ern Territory  Goldfields — Aborigines  at  Port  Darwin — Marine  Fauna 
— Birds — Geese  perching  on  Trees 194 — 208 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Voyage  from  Port  Darwin  to  Singapore — Through  the  Eastern  Archi- 
pelago—  We  arrive  at  Singapore  —  Oceanic  "Tiderips"  —  Bird 
Island,  Seychelles — Seabirds  on  Land — Port  Mahe,  Seychelles — 
The  Coco-de-Mer^Gigantic  Tortoise — Produce  of  the  Islands — 
Vanilla  —  A  Primitive  Crushing-mill  —  Dredging  Operations  — 
Periophthiilinus—"'L\\\t  Seychelles,  of  Granitic  Structure — We  visit 
the  Amirante  Group — African  Islands — Abundance  of  Orbitolites^ 
Crabs  pursued  by  Eels— Eagle  Island- -Partridge  shooting — Young 
Lizards — Darros  Island — Casiiariiias — I  )redging  -Poivre  Island — 
Trees  and  Shrubs — Isle  des  Roches — Flora  scanty— Land-birds^ 
General  Remarks  on  the  Amirantes  as  a  Group — "  Fringing  Reefs," 
but  no  "Barrier  Reefs" — Signs  of  Elevation — Weather  and  Lee 
Sides  contrasted 209—229 


Contoils.  xiii 

I'AGK 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Alphonse  Island — Pearl-shell— Providence  Island — Method  of  planting- 
Cocoa-nuts  —  Edible  Turtle  —  Flora  —  Red  Coral  —  Ccrf  Islets — 
St.  Pierre — Du  Lise  Island — Flora  and  Fauna — Erratic  Stones  on 
Coral  Reef — Glorioso  Island — We  sail  for  Mozambique  Island^ 
And  sight  East  Coast  of  Africa  —  Trade  at  Mozambique  — 
Inhabitants  —  Caju— Shells  of  Foreshore — The  Survey  concluded 
— Homeward  Bound — Cape  of  tiood  Hope — Egg  of  the  Epiornis — 
Arrival  at  Plymouth 230 — 24s 

Genkrai.  Index 246 

Index  of  NAirRAr.  History  Terms 253 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


H.MS.     "Al.lCRT"    Al     ANCHOR    IN     I'OM    HAV,    WksI'    COASl    OV      I-adng 

Patagonia nth- 

FuEGiAN  ANiJ  Australian  I.mi'I.I'Iiiknts .54 

Canoe  of  Channel  Fuegians 50 

FUEGIAN    "PORIAGE"    FOR   TRANSPORT   OF   CANOES   OVERLAND         .         6o 

Fuegians  Offering  their  Children  for  Barter        .        .        .65 
Our  Fuegian  Friends  at  Tilly  Bay,  Straits  of  Magellan      .     104 

Fuegian  Hur  at  Tilly  Bay 120 

Foot  of  Glacier,  Ar  Glacier  Bay,  Si  raits  of  Magellan         .     124 

Fish-hooks  of  Union  Islanders 143 

Woman  of   Tahiti 144 

Fishek.man  of  Tahut 148 

KiNc;  Cacohai:  0:'  I'lji,  Wife,  and  Rait  Joe         .        .        .        .160 

Totoonga  Valley,  Ovnlai",  Imji 166 

Ancieni  Stone  Monl.ment  al  Tongatahu 174 

Facsimiles  of  Drawings  i'.v  Australian  Ai-.origines  .        .        .192 

AliOKIGINES  OF  NOKTH-WEST  AUSTRALIA 204 

"Travellers'  Trees"  in  Gardens  at  Singapore        .        .        .    210 
"Coi'ra"  Crushing  Mill  Ar  Seychelles 218 


CRUISE   OF   THE    "ALERT." 


INTRODUCTION. 

IN  the  summer  of  1878  it  was  decided  by  the  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty  to  equip  a  vessel  for  the  threefold  purpose  of 
continuing  the  survey  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  of  investigating 
the  nature  and  exact  position  of  certain  doubtful  reefs  and  islands 
in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean,  and  of  surveying  a  portion  of  the 
northern  and  western  coasts  of  Australia.  The  special  object  of 
the  Magellan  portion  of  the  work  was  to  make  such  a  detailed 
survey  of  the  sheltered  channels  extending  southward  from  the 
Gulf  of  Penas  to  Port  Tamar  as  would  enable  vessels  to  pass 
from  the  Straits  to  the  Pacific,  and  vice  versa,  without  having  to 
encounter  the  wild  and  inhospitable  outer  coasts  presented  by  the 
chain  of  desolate  islands  here  fringing  the  western  coasts  of  South 
America.  It  was  also  desirable  that  additional  anchorages  should 
be  found  and  survc}-ed,  where  vessels  might  lie  in  safety  while 
v.'aiting  for  the  cessation  of  a  gale,  or  for  a  favourable  tide  to  help 
them  through  the  straits.  The  surveys  made  by  the  Adventure 
and  Bcag/c  in  1826-36,  and  by  the  Niissart  in  1866-9,  were 
excellent  so  far  as  they  went,  and  so  far  as  the  requirements  of 
their  times  were  concerned  ;  but  the  great  increase  of  ocean 
navigation  within  the  last  few  years  had  rendered  it  necessary 
that   the   charts   should   contain   more   minute   survcj-s  of  certain 

I 


2  Cruise  of  tlu  "Alert:' 

places  which  were  not  formerly  of  importance.  The  South  Pacific 
portion  of  our  survey  was  to  be  mainly  in  connection  with  the 
recently  acquired  colony  of  the  Fiji  Islands,  and  was  to  be  devoted 
to  an  exploration  of  the  eastern  passages  leading  to  this  group, 
with  an  investigation  of  the  doubtful  dangers  reported  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  great  shipping  tracts.  Finally,  on  completing  the 
above,  and  arriving  at  Australia,  we  were  to  spend  a  year  and  a 
half,  or  thereabouts,  in  sur\-cying  the  line  of  reefs  which  fringe 
its  whole  western  seaboard,  the  ill-defined  position  of  which  is 
a  serious  obstacle  to  the  now  extensive  trade  between  Western 
Australia  and  the  Dutch  islands  of  the  Malay  Archipelago. 

The  latter  part  of  the  orders  was  subsequently  changed,  inas- 
much as  we  were  directed  to  omit  the  survey  of  the  western 
shores  of  Australia,  and  were  ordered  instead,  on  completing  the 
North  Australian  work,  to  proceed  to  Singapore,  in  the  Straits  of 
Malacca,  to  refit.  Thence  we  were  to  return  home  by  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  stopping  on  our  way  at  the  Seychelles,  Amirante 
Islands,  and  Mozambique,  in  order  to  fix  astronomically  the 
position  of  the  Amirante  group,  and,  as  opportunities  occurred,  to 
take  a  line  of  soundings  off  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 

The  vessel  selected  for  this  special  ser\ice  was  the  Alert,  a 
man-of-war  sloop  of  7  5  i  tons  measurement  and  60  horse-power 
nominal  ;  and  the  command  of  the  expedition  was  given  to  Capt. 
Sir  George  Nares,  K.C.B.  By  a  happy  coincidence  the  same  stout 
craft  which  had  already  done  such  good  service  in  the  Arctic 
Expedition  of  1S75-6,  and  which  bears  the  honour  of  having 
attained  the  highest  tiorthent  latitude,  was  selected  as  the  ship 
in  which  Sir  George  Nares  was  now  about  to  proceed  on  a 
voyage  of  exploration  in  high  southern  latitudes.  She  was  offi- 
cially commissioned  on  the  20th  of  August,  with  a  complement 
of  120  officers  and  men,  her  equipments  including  apparatus 
for  conducting  deep  sea  sounding  and  dredging  operations,  and 
a  miscellaneous  collection  of  instruments  not  usually  supplied 
to  H.M.'s  ships. 


Object  of  the    Voyage.  3 

It  being  the  wish  of  the  enterprising  hydrographer  of  the  navy 
■ — Captain,  now  Sir  Frederick  Evans,  K.C.B. — that  the  opportu- 
nities which  this  expedition  would  afford  of  making  a  valuable 
natural  history  collection  in  regions  little  known  to  science  should 
not  be  thrown  away,  and  Sir  George  Nares  warmly  seconding  him 
in  this  wish,  the  Admiralty  determined  on  appointing  as  surgeon 
an  officer  who,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  medical  officer  of  the 
ship,  would  be  inclined  to  devote  his  spare  time  to  the  cause 
of  natural  science.  Sir  George  Nares,  knowing  my  fondness 
for  natural  history,  with  characteristic  kindness  gave  my  appli- 
cation his  support,  and  I  had  therefore  the  good  fortune  to  be 
appointed  as  medical  officer  of  the  /llert,  on  the  understanding 
that  (so  far  as  my  medical  duties  permitted)  I  would  not  lose 
sight  of  the  advantages  which  would  accrue  to  science  from  a 
collection  of  natural-history  objects  illustrative  of  the  fauna  and 
flora  of  the  countries  visited  in  the  course  of  the  voyage. 

During  the  four  years  over  which  my  narrative  extends,  many 
changes  took  place  in  the  pcrsonnet  of  the  expedition.  Scarcely 
a  year  had  elapsed  from  the  date  of  our  departure  from  England, 
when  we  had  to  regret  the  loss  of  Sir  George  Nares,  who  left  us 
at  Valparaiso,  and  returned  to  England  by  mail  steamer,  in  order 
to  enter  upon  his  duties  as  Director  of  the  Marine  Department 
of  the  Board  of  Trade.  We  were  fortunate,  however,  in  having 
as  his  successor  Captain  John  Maclcar — formcrlv  of  the  Challenger 
exploring  expedition — to  whom  I  take  this  oppoiiunity  of  express- 
ing my  thanks  for  the  unvarying  kindness  which  I  have  always 
experienced  at  his  hands,  as  well  as  for  much  assistance  and 
encouragement  in  the  prosecution  of  our  zoological  work. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers: — 

Captain  Sir  George  S.  Nares,  K.C.I].,  F.R.S. ;  succeeded  by 
Captain  John  Maclear,  F.R.M.S. 

Lieut.  George  R.  Bethell  ;  succeeded  by  Lieut.  James  Deedcs. 

Lieut,  the  Hon.  Foley  C.  P.  Verckcr ;  succeeded  by  Lieut. 
George  Roopcr. 


4  Cniise  of  the  ''Alert." 

Lieut.  Gordon  S.  Gunn  (subsequently  became  senior  lieutenant). 

Nav.  Lieut.  William  II.  Petley. 

Sub-Lieut.  James  H.  C.  East  (subsequently  served  as  lieutenant). 

Sub-Lieut.  Charles  W.  de  la  P.  Beresford  (left  the  ship  at 
Singapore). 

Staff-Surgeon  Richard  W.  Coppinger,  M.D. 

Paymaster  Frederick  North. 

Engineer,  John  Dinwoodie. 

Engineer,  William  Cook. 

Boatswain,  Alfred  Payne. 

(Lieut.  Grenfell  joined  the  ship  at  Singapore,  and  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  commission.) 


Our  Bird  Viiiiors, 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM   ENGLAND   TO   THE   FALKLANDS 

AFTER  various  delays,  owing  to  defects  in  machinery,  we 
finally  bade  adieu  to  the  shores  of  England  on  the  25  th 
of  September,  1878,  taking  our  departure  from  Plymouth. 

On  the  second  day  at  sea  the  little  storm-petrels  appeared 
over  our  wake,  and  accompanied  us,  off  and  on,  for  most  of  our 
way  to  Madeira.  These  seemed  to  be  of  two  kinds,  the  Tlialas- 
sidroma  pelagica  and  Thalassidroma  Leachii,  the  latter  being  suf- 
ficiently recognizable  from  their  having  forked  tails,  in  which 
respect  they  differ  from  other  species  of  the  genus.  Many  at- 
tempts were  made  to  catch  them  by  means  of  hooks  baited  with 
fat,  skeins  of  thread,  etc.,  but  all  to  no  purpose;  and  I  rather 
fancy  that  in  this  thoroughfare  of  the  ocean  the  wily  creatures 
have  had  too  much  experience  of  the  arts  of  man,  and  are  there- 
fore not  to  be  caught  so  easily  as  their  more  ignorant  brethren  of 
the  southern  hemisphere. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  when  155  miles  to  the  westward  of 
Cape  P^inisterrc,  and  during  a  fresh  easterly  breeze,  a  sparrow-hawk 
made  his  appearance,  at  first  hovering  round  the  ship,  and  ulti- 
mately settling  on  the  rigging.  It  had  probably  strayed  too  far 
from  the  shore  in  the  pursuit  of  some  tempting  prey,  and  had  then 
lost  its  reckoning,  being  eventually  blown  to  seaward.  At  ali 
events,  it  had  travelled  some  long  distance,  as  it  evinced  its 
weariness  by  resting  quietly  and  contentedly  on  the  main-top- 
gallant rigging,  until  one  of  the  seamen,  who  had  managed   to 


6  Cruise  of  I  he  "  Alert  r 

climb  up  unobserved,  suddenly  laid  hands  on  it.  On  placing  it  in 
a  meat-safe,  which  we  extemporised  as  a  cage,  it  ate  ravenously, 
as  well  it  might  after  its  long  journey. 

When  in  the  latitude  of  Lisbon,  and  1 80  miles  to  the  westward 
of  the  Portuguese  coast,  a  large  "  sea-flier  "  bird  paid  us  a  visit, 
soaring  over  the  waves  in  our  vicinity,  and  evidently  on  the  look- 
out for  garbage  from  the  ship.  The  plumage  of  the  upper  surface 
of  wings  and  body  was  of  a  dusky  brown  colour,  the  under  surface 
of  the  body  was  whitish,  and  the  wings  were  long  and  pointed ; 
in  mode  of  flight  he  resembled  a  large  tern.  He  did  not  long 
remain  with  us,  probably  not  finding  it  a  sufficiently  productive 
hunting-ground.  I  may  here  mention  that  on  the  6th  of  October, ' 
when  a  hundred  miles  from  Madeira,  we  sighted  a  bird  answering 
the  same  description. 

All  opportunities  of  plying  the  tow-net  were  duly  availed  of, 
but  owing  to  the  unusually  rapid  speed  of  the  ship,  these  were  few. 
However,  we  succeeded  in  capturing  many  specimens  of  living 
Foraminifers  (mostly  of  the  genus  OrbitoHtcs),  stalk-eyed  Crus- 
taceans, Radiolarians,  an  lanthina,  a  few  Salpae,  and  the  pretty 
little  Pteropod  Mollusc,  the  Criscis  Aciailata,  besides  many  other 
organisms  which  the  rapid  motion  of  the  net  through  the  water 
had  rendered  unrecognizable.  As  it  is  usually  found  that  these 
minute  pelagic  organisms  are  to  be  obtained  from  the  surface  in 
most  abundance  at  night-time,  and  during  the  day  retreat  for 
some  fathoms  from  the  glare  of  the  sunlight,  I  constructed  a 
wooden  apparatus  on  the  principle  of  a  kite,  which  I  attached  to 
the  towing  line  at  some  three  or  four  yards  from  the  net,  and 
which  had  the  effect  of  dragging  down  the  net  some  yards  below 
the  surface,  and  then  retaining  it  at  a  uniform  depth.  It  of 
course  required  to  be  adjusted  each  time  to  suit  the  required 
depth  and  the  rate  of  the  vessel,  but  it  had  this  great  advantage 
over  the  usual  system  of  employing  heavy  weights,  that  the  strain 
not  being  nearly  so  great,  a  light  and  manageable  rope  could  be 
used ;  and  that,  moreover,   the   adjustment   for   depth  could    be 


A  Sounding  Apparatus — Swallows  at  Sea.  7 

readily  made  by  altering  the  trim  of  tiiis  water-kite.  When  I 
first  tried  this  apparatus,  and  before  I  had  succeeded  in  trimming 
it  satisfactorily,  it  caused  great  amusement  to  the  blue-jackets  by 
the  playful  manner  in  which  it  manoeuvred  under  our  stern,  now 
diving  deeply  towards  our  rudder  post  (the  shimmer  of  the  white 
wood  in  the  deep  blue  water  reminding  one  of  a  dolphin),  and 
now  whimsically  rising  rapidly  to  the  surface  with  an  impetus 
that  shot  it  fully  six  feet  out  of  the  water. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  the  captain  made  some  experiments 
with  the  "  Lucas  deep-sea  sounder."  It  consists  of  a  strong  brass 
drum  carrying  2,000  fathoms  of  fine  steel  wire,  and  fitted  with  a 
cyclometer  which  registers  on  a  dial  the  number  of  fathoms  of 
wire  run  out.  The  sinker,  which  weighs  20  lbs.,  is  made  of  lead, 
and  has  at  its  lower  extremity  a  bull-dog  snapper,  which,  on 
striking  the  ground,  shuts  up  suddenly,  so  as  to  enclose  a  sample 
of  the  sea  bottom.  The  apparatus  is  supposed  to  be  capable  of 
sounding  to  a  dc[)th  of  500  fathoms  in  a  vessel  going  5  knots, 
and  to  50  fathoms  w'hen  going  12  knots.  It  is  said  to  be  a 
modification  of  an  invention  of  Sir  VV.  Thompson's.  \Vc  subse- 
quently used  this  largely,  and  found  it  to  be  a  most  convenient 
and  expeditious  method  of  sounding  to  depths  of  500  fathoms, 
with  the  ship  almost  stationary.  The  wire  could  be  wound  up 
again  while  the  ship  was  under  way. 

During  the  forenoon  of  this  same  day  we  saw,  to  our  astonish- 
ment, a  land  swallow,  which  flew  about  the  ship  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  He  would  have  had  to  travel 
254  miles  to  make  the  nearest  land,  which  was  the  island  of  Porto 
Santo. 

An  erratic  fragment  of  gulfweed  {Sargassnm  Bacciferuvi)  was 
entangled  in  the  tow-net  on  the  Sth  of  October,  when  we  were 
105  miles  north-cast  of  Madeira,  a  circumstance  which  is  of  interest 
as  regards  the  distribution  of  the  plant,  the  locality  cited  being 
considerably  beyond  the  northern  limit  of  the  great  eddy  between 
the   Gulf  Stream   and   the  Atlantic  equatorial   current,  commonly 


8  Cruise  of  the  ''AUrtr 

called  the  Sargasso  Sea.  It  was  encrusted  with  a  delicate  white 
Polyzoon  {Meinbranipora),  and  among  other  organisms  carried  on 
its  fronds  a  pretty  little  Spirorbis  shell,  and  several  entomostracous 
Crustaceans  of  a  deep-blue  colour. 

The  phosphorescence  of  the  sea  is  a  trite  subject,  and  one  about 
which  a  very  great  deal  has  been  written  ;  but  nevertheless,  of  its 
actual  cause,  or  of  the  purposes  which  it  is  intended  to  serve,  really 
very  little  is  positively  known.  The  animals  to  which  it  would 
seem  mainly  due  are  the  small  stalk-eyed  Crustacea,  the  Pyrocystis 
noctiliua,  and  the  Tunicate  Molluscs.  I  have  sometimes  observed, 
when  occupied  at  night  in  sifting  the  contents  of  a  tow-net,  that 
these  organisms,  as  they  were  being  sucked  through  the  nozzle  of 
the  dip-tube,  emitted  (lashes  of  light,  so  brilliant,  that  they  could 
be  distinctly  seen  even  in  a  well-lighted  room.  During  the  voyage 
from  England  to  Madeira,  the  wake  of  the  ship  was  every  night, 
with  one  exception,  phosphorescent.  The  exception  alluded  to 
was  on  the  night  previous  to  our  arrival  at  Madeira,  when  pro- 
bably tlie  unusual  brilliancy  of  the  moonlight  caused  the  light- 
emitting  creatures  to  retreat  a  few  yards  from  the  surface,  as 
happens  in  the  day-time.  I  have  often  noticed  that  while  the 
phosphorescence  of  the  comparatively  still  water  abeam  of  the 
ship  and  on  her  quarter  usually  seems  to  emanate  from  large 
spherical  masses  of  about  a  foot  in  diameter  (commonly  called 
"  globes  of  fire"),  yet  the  luminosity  of  the  broken  water  in  the 
vessel's  immediate  wake  comes  apparently  from  innumerable  minute 
points.  I  have  rarely  captured  any  of  the  larger  jcllj-fishes  in 
the  tow-net ;  and  on  those  nights  when  I  have  observed  the  water 
lighted  up  the  most  brilliantly,  the  prevailing  organisms  have  proved 
to  be  the  small  entomostracous  Crustaceans. 

The  morning  of  the  7th  of  October  broke  cool  and  hazy,  as  we 
steamed  up  and  dropped  anchor  in  Funchal  Roads,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  island  of  Madeira.  Crowds  of  native  boats,  with 
their  half-naked  occupants,  quickly  thronged  around  ;  remaining, 
however,  at  a  respectful  distance,  until   the   boat  containing  the 


Madeira.  g 

haughty  pratique  officer  came  alongside.  On  the  present  occa- 
sion this  portentous  individual  was  contented  with  a  very  super- 
ficial inquiry  into  our  sanitary  condition,  and  after  a  few  formal 
questions  as  to  our  tonnage,  complement  of  crew,  number  of  guns, 
and  general  condition,  shoved  off  with  the  laconic  exclamation, 
"All  right!"  We  soon  availed  ourselves  of  this  permission  to 
visit  the  shore. 

The  most  conspicuous  objects  in  Funchal,  as  seen  from  the 
anchorage,  are  the  "Loo  Rock"  (used  as  a  fort  and  lighthouse),  on 
the  west  side  of  the  town,  and  on  the  centre  of  the  crescent-shaped 
beach  which  fronts  the  town  a  remarkable  and  lofty  cylindrical 
tower  of  dark-brown  stone.  This  tower,  we  were  informed,  was 
built  about  the  year  iSoo,  and  was  intended  as  a  support  for  a 
huge  crane,  which  was  to  facilitate  the  loading  and  disembarkation 
of  the  cargo  of  merchant  ships.  The  tower  as  it  stands  is  about 
eighty  feet  in  height,  and  as  its  base  is  now  about  forty  yards 
distant  from  high-water  mark  on  the  beach,  as  an  article  of  utility 
it  is  quite  effete.  Our  surveyors  have  ascertained  that  the  land 
has  not  been  elevated  since  the  first  admiralty  surveys.  This 
they  arrive  at  by  a  comparison  of  old  and  recent  charts  with 
known  marks  on  the  shore,  and  we  are  therefore  inclined  to 
believe  that  the  beach  has  been  silted  up  by  accumulations  ol 
basaltic  rubble  brought  down  by  the  two  adjoining  rivers,  and 
here  washed  inshore  by  the  sea.  The  tower  is  now  without  any 
appearance  of  the  crane,  and  raises  its  plain  cylindrical  body  in 
gloomy  grandeur,  reminding  one  of  the  old  round  towers  of 
Ireland  ;  and,  as  in  their  case,  its  origin  will  probably  some  years 
hence  be  veiled  in  obscurity. 

Madeira  was  considered  to  be  looking  unusually  dingy,  on 
account  of  a  long  season  of  drought,  rain  not  having  fallen  for 
nine  months.  But  some  two  or  three  days  after  our  arrival  a  great 
religious  ceremony  took  place  at  the  village  of  Machico,  eight  miles 
to  the  eastward  of  Funchal.  The  object  was  to  offer  up  prajers  for 
rain  ;  and,  sure  enough,  two  days  afterwards,  rain  fell  abundantly  ! 


lO  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert:'' 

During  our  stay  here  the  dredge  was  several  times  brought 
into  requisition.  On  the  Sth  of  October,  a  party,  consisting  of 
the  captain,  Lieut.  Vereker,  some  seamen,  and  myself,  started  in 
the  steam  cutter  on  a  dredging  expedition  to  the  bay  of  Santa  Cruz, 
which  is  distant  about  eight  miles  from  Funchal.  As  we  steamed 
along  the  coast,  we  had  excellent  opportunities  of  observing  the 
sections  exhibited  by  the  cliffs  of  the  varieties  of  volcanic  rock, 
of  which  the  upper  crust  of  the  island  is  mainly  formed.  At  Point 
Garajas  (Brazen  Head),  of  which  Lieut.  Vereker  made  a  good 
sketch,  the  north-east  face  of  the  cliff  presents  a  magnificent  dyke 
— a  nearly  vertical  scam  of  dark  lava,  about  three  feet  in  width 
and  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  extending  from  summit  to  water 
line,  and  sealing  up  this  long  fissure  in  the  older  trachytic  rock  of 
the  head.  Farther  on,  masses  of  basalt  resting  unconformably 
on  variously  arranged  layers  of  laterite  tuff  and  trachyte,  the 
latter  in  many  places  honeycombed  in  weird  fantastic  caverns, 
afforded  a  fertile  subject  for  geological  reveries  into  the  early 
history  of  this  now  beautiful  island.  On  reaching  the  bay  of 
Santa  Cruz,  we  lowered  the  dredge  in  thirty-five  fathoms,  finding, 
as  we  had  half  anticipated,  that  it  was  altogether  too  heavy  to 
ride  on  the  mass  of  sand  that  here  forms  the  sea  bottom.  It 
buried  itself  like  an  anchor,  and  it  was  not  without  great  diffi- 
culty that  we  could  succeed  in  dislodging  it.  On  bringing  it  up, 
we  found  it  to  contain  some  shells  of  the  genera  Cardium,  Pecten, 
Cypraa,  Oliva,  and  Deutahum,  a  few  small  Echini,  a  Scrtularian 
Polyp,  several  Annelids — among  others,  a  Nereis — and  Alcyo- 
narians.  We  returned  on  board  soon  after  dusk,  having  spent 
a  most  enjoyable,  if  not  materially  profitable,  day.  On  subse- 
quently dredging  in  fifty  fathoms  in  the  same  bay,  our  work 
was  more  satisfactory  ;  but  besides  some  Crustaceans,  an  Ophio- 
coma,  and  an  Asterias  of  a  brilliant  orange  colour,  obtained  few 
specimens  of  any  interest.  On  another  day  we  tried  the  coast 
to  the  westward  of  Funchal ;  and  as  we  moved  along  in  the 
steam  cutter,  obtained,  by  means  of  the  tow-net,  several  specimens 


Dredging   Operations  at  Funchal.  1 1 

of  gulfweed  entangling  small  sponges.  The  dredge,  being  put 
over  in  seven  fathoms,  procured  for  us  many  specimens  of  a 
Cidaris,  studded  with  black  spines  three  to  four  inches  long, 
and  whose  oblate  spheroidal  tests  of  about  two  inches  diameter 
were  of  a  beautiful  smalt  colour.  Off  the  same  coast,  in  forty 
fathoms,  the  bottom  was  found  to  consist  of  black  basaltic  sand 
crowded  with  tooth-shells.  This  fine  black  sand  seemed  to  form, 
the  sea-bottom  along  the  south  coast  of  the  island  as  far  out  as 
the  fifty  fathom  line,  and  from  our  experience  docs  not  prove  a 
favourable  berth  for  our  friends  the  Mollusca  and  Annulosa. 

Among  the  Crustaceans  obtained  in  the  above  drcJgings  was 
a  species  of  Glaucotlide  new  to  science,  which  has  since  been 
described  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Miers,  of  the  British  Museum,  under  the 
title  of  "  Glaucotlwe  rostrata'.^ 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  I2th  of  October,  in  company  with 
Sir  George  Narcs,  and  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Grabham,  a 
British  doctor  for  many  years  resident  in  Madeira,  we  had  an 
opportunity  of  inspecting  a  "  pinerj',"  established  within  the  last 
two  years  by  a  Mr.  Holloway,  and  by  which  he  expects  to  amass 
a  considerable  fortune.  This  establishment,  which  lies  to  the 
north-east  of  the  town,  at  an  altitude  of  about  three  hundred 
feet,  consists  of  a  series  of  long,  low  hothouses  with  sloping  glass 
roofs,  painted  white,  and  facing  to  the  southward,  and  is  heated 
entirely  by  the  sun's  rays.  The  material  in  which  the  pines  arc 
planted  consists  of  the  branches  of  the  blackberry  plant  chopped 
to  fragments,  and  spread  out  in  a  thick  layer,  and  in  this  sub- 
stitute for  mould  the  young  pines  are  placed,  at  intervals  of  about 
eighteen  inches  apart.  They  grow  to  an  enormous  size,  as  we 
ourselves  witnessed  ;  and  being  cut  when  they  show  the  least 
sign  of  ripening,  and  packed  carefully  in  well-ventilated  boxes, 
are  shipped  to  London,  where  they  fetch  prices  varying  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  shillings  each. 

Dr.  Grabham  was  kind  enough  to  give  us  much  interesting 
information   concerning   the   natural   history  of  the   island,  which, 


12  Cruise  of  the  '' Alert." 

from  his  long  experience  and  constant  observation,  was  most 
valuable.  He  pointed  out  to  us  a  considerable  tract  of  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  town  which  used  to  be  thickly  planted  with 
vines,  but  which  is  now  only  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  sweet 
potatoes.  During  the  last  seven  jears  the  vine  crops  have  been 
steadily  decreasing,  owing  to  the  ravages  of  the  Pliylloxera 
vastatrix,  and  wine-making  is  now  at  a  low  ebb.  The  number 
of  trees  in  the  island  was  also  rapidly  diminishing,  owing  to 
the  demand  for  fuel ;  and  although  efforts  are  made,  by  the 
cultivation  of  pine  forests,  to  supply  that  want,  the  demand  yet 
exceeds  the  supply.  In  a  few  years  Madeira  will  no  longer  be, 
as  its  name  implies,  a  land  of  ivood.  Although  so  late  in  the 
season,  numbers  of  flowers  were  still  in  full  bloom  ;  the  Bougain- 
villca  with  its  dark  red  bracts,  and  the  yellow  jasmine  adorning 
the  trellis-work  ;  further  up  the  hill  the  belladonna  lily  attracted 
attention,  and  on  the  heights  were  the  old  familiar  furze  blossoms, 
reminding  us  of  the  land  we  had  left  behind  us. 

On  October  I2th  we  weighed  anchor,  and  proceeded  to  the 
southward.  All  that  night  and  the  following  day  we  steamed 
quietly  along  in  smooth  water,  with  a  long,  shallow  ground  swell 
(of  which,  however,  the  old  craft  took  advantage  to  displa)-  her 
extraordinary  rolling  powers),  and  late  in  the  afternoon,  just 
before  dark,  caught  sight  of  Palmas,  one  of  the  Canary  Islands, 
whose  peak,  7,000  feet  high,  loomed  conspicuously  through  a 
light  bank  of  clouds.  It  was  distant  seventy  miles.  On  the 
morning  of  the  I5tli  we  experienced  for  the  first  time  the 
influence  of  the  north-east  trade  wind,  which  wafted  us  along 
pleasantly  at  the  rate  of  about  seven  knots.  Up  to  this  the  only 
sign  of  animal  life  had  been  a  solitarj'  storm  petrel,  but  on  the 
following  day  a  shoal  of  flying  fish  {Exocctiis  'lOlltatis)  appeared, 
to  pay  their  respects  and  greet  us  en  our  approach  to  the  tropical 
zone.  During  the  night,  the  wind,  which  had  hitherto  only 
behaved  tolerably,  fell  light;  and  as  the  morning  of  the  17th 
dawned,  we  found  ourselves  flapping  about  in  alrr.cst  a  corrplete 


Ltfe  at  the  Ocean  Surface.  13 

calm.  There  were  several  merchant  vessels  in  sight,  with  one 
of  which,  a  fine-looking  full-rigged  clipper  ship,  we  communicated 
by  signal,  when  the  usual  dumb  interchange  of  civilities  took 
place ;  she  informing  us  that  she  was  the  Baron  Collinson,  seven- 
teen days  out  from  Liverpool,  and  we  in  return  giving  the  latest 
news  we  were  aware  of,  viz.,  the  failure  of  the  Glasgow  Bank. 
During  the  afternoon,  a  shark,  which  seemed  to  be  the  Sqitalus 
glaitcus,  hovered  about  our  stern.  It  was  accompanied  by  at 
least  four  "pilots"  {Naucrates  ductor),  whose  conspicuous  dark- 
blue  body  stripes  showed  out  in  striking  contrast  to  the  sombre 
hues  of  the  shark,  whose  body  formed  the  background. 

It  is  during  those  tropical  calms,  usually  so  wearisome  to  the 
seaman,  that  the  lover  of  natural  history  reaps  his  richest  harvest. 
On  the  present  occasion  the  tow-net  brought  up  quantities  of  a 
minute  conferva  consisting  of  little  bundles  of  delicate  straw- 
coloured  fibres,  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  resem- 
bling, on  a  small  scale,  the  familiar  bundles  of  "  faggots  "  as  one 
sees  them  hawked  in  the  streets.  Under  a  high  magnifying 
power  the  individual  fibres  composing  these  bundles  were  seen 
to  consist  of  jointed  segments  marked  with  dots  and  transverse 
striae  as  a  diatom.  When  placed  in  spirit,  they  at  once  broke 
up  into  a  shapeless  fluffy  mass.  The  surface  water  was  thickly 
impregnated  with  them,  yet  not  so  as  to  impart  any  obvious  dis- 
colouration. About  dusk  the  trade  wind  suddenly  returned,  and 
a  heavy  shower  of  rain  brought  to  a  close  a  day  of  great  interest. 

On  the  I  8th  of  October,  many  of  us  fore  and  aft  were  diligently 
expending  our  ingenuity  in  fishing  for  bonitoes,  of  which  several 
(apparently  the  Thinnus pelaniis)  were  to  be  seen  about  the  ship  ; 
but,  to  our  great  chagrin,  only  one,  a  small  specimen,  was  captured. 
The  tow-net  still  brought  up  quantities  of  the  conferva  before 
mentioned,  and  multitudes  of  minute  unattached  specimens  of 
the  Spirorhis  nnininulites. 

On  the  following  day,  as  we  lay  all  but  becalmed,  the  storm- 
petrels  {jriialassidroma pelagicci)  appeared  in  great  numbers,  settling 


14  Cruise  of  the  ''Alot." 

on  the  water  close  to  our  stern,  in  flocks  of  twelve  or  fourteen, 
and  feeding  greedily  on  the  rubbish  thrown  overboard.  It  seems 
that  the  natural  food  of  these  birds  (which  probably  consists  of 
the  minute  surface  organisms)  is  not  within  their  reach  when  the 
surface  of  the  water  is  unbroken,  and  hence  during  calms  they 
are  more  than  commonly  anxious  to  avail  themselves  of  any  offal 
thrown  overboard.  It  was  most  interesting  to  observe  the  neat  and 
graceful  way  in  which  they  plant  their  webbed  feet  on  the  water,  as 
with  outstretched  wings  and  legs  erect  they  maintain  a  stationary 
attitude  while  pecking  at  the  object  of  their  fancy.  They  appeared 
to  scrupulously  avoid  wetting  the  tarsi,  and  still  to  use  the  feet 
as  a  means  of  maintaining  a  fixed  position  on  the  surface  of  the 
water.  I  had  never  previously  observed  those  untiring  little  navi- 
gators at  rest  in  mid-ocean,  but  on  this  occasion  we  all  saw  them, 
with  wings  closed,  floating  as  placidly  on  the  water  as  ducks  in  a 
millpond.  The  old  idea  of  their  following  ships  only  before  and 
during  stormy  weather  is,  I  believe,  now  quite  exploded.  I  think 
that  within  the  tropics,  at  all  events,  they  are  most  numerous  in 
the  vicinity  of  ships  during  calm  weather.  Finding  animal  life 
scarce  at  the  surface,  I  tried  the  tow-net  sunk  to  a  depth  of  about 
three  fathoms,  and  having  previously  raked  the  surface,  was  enabled 
to  institute  a  comparison ;  the  result  being  that  similar  species 
were  captured  in  both  situations,  but  that  a  far  greater  number 
of  individuals  were  present  in  the  deeper  water.  During  the  day- 
time we  obtained  a  number  of  Crustaceans,  several  Atlanta  shells, 
Globigcriita  bidloides,  and  the  same  con/a  va  as  on  the  previous 
day.  After  dark  I  got  a  great  quantity  of  highly  phosphorescent 
Crustaceans,  and  one  small  cuttle-fish. 

On  the  20lh  the  trade  wind  returned  in  full  force,  and  the 
monotony  of  an  otherwise  uneventful  day  was  varied  by  the 
appearance  of  a  shoal  of  porpoises,  which  accompanied  us  for 
some  time,  moving  along  abreast  of  us  and  about  two  hundred 
jards  off  on  our  starboard  beam,  and  making  themselves  con- 
spicuous by  their  usual  frisk}-  behaviour. 


Sf.  Vincent,   Cape  de   Verde.  15 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  22nd  the  high  land  of  San  Antonio, 
the  most  northerly  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands,  hove  in  sight, 
far  away  on  our  starboard  bow  ;  but  the  evening  closing  in  thick 
and  dark,  and  this  group  being  almost  without  lighthouses,  the 
captain  decided  on  laying-to  until  next  morning.  When  about 
twenty  miles  off,  we  received  a  visit  from  a  good-sized  hawk, 
evidently  out  on  a  foraging  tour;  he  hovered  for  awhile  about 
our  mastheads,  reconnoitring  our  decks,  and  then  soared  away. 

As  we  sailed  along  the  east  coast  of  San  Antonio  (the  largest 
island  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  group),  we  observed  a  small  outlying 
island  rock,  composed  of  closely  packed  vertical  columnar  masses 
of  rock  (probably  basaltic),  which,  from  their  artificial  appearance, 
reminded  one  forcibly  of  the  Giant's  Causeway,  or  of  the  Stafifa 
Columns.  The  hills  of  the  main  island,  which  sloped  up  majes- 
tically from  a  low  rocky  beach  to  peaks  five  or  six  thousand  feet 
high,  were  clothed  with  herbage,  whose  varying  tints  of  green,  to 
which  the  shadows  of  the  secondary  peaks  added  dusky  patches 
of  brown,  created  a  most  pleasing  landscape. 

We  reached  the  harbour  of  Porto  Santo,  St.  Vincent,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  23rd  of  October,  and  soon  after  the  anchor  was 
dropped,  those  of  us  who  could  leave  the  ship  proceeded  to  land. 
As  we  approached  the  beach,  we  were  greatly  struck  by  a  con- 
trivance, new  to  most  of  us,  for  carrying  coals  from  the  yard 
where  it  is  stowed  to  the  shipping  wharves,  a  distance  of  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  mile, — a  row  of  posts,  like  those  used  for  telegraph 
wires,  placed  about  four  yards  apart,  and  supporting  on  iron 
rollers  a  long  endless  wire,  to  which  are  hung  at  intervals  large 
metal  buckets  containing  the  coal.  There  is  an  incline  from  the 
depot  to  the  wharf,  and  consequently,  as  the  full  buckets  travel 
down  to  the  lower  end  of  the  circuit,  and  are  canted  so  as  to 
discharge  their  contents,  the  empty  buckets  pass  up  the  incline 
back  to  the  coalyard,  and  so  a  circuit  is  completed.  Most  of 
the  large  passenger  steamers  traversing  the  South  Atlantic  find 
St.   Vincent    a    convenient   place   to    stop    at    to    replenish    their 


1 6  Cruise  of  the  ''Akrtr 

blinkers,  and    it   is   to  this  coal  trade  that  the   island  owes   its 
importance. 

After  a  cursory  inspection  of  the  little  town,  which  presented 
a  very   neat   and  orderly  appearance,  we  strolled    out    into   the 
country,  following  the  direction  of  the  western  shore  of  the  bay. 
The  country    exhibited   a    tolerably   green    appearance,   and   we 
were     informed    that    vegetation    had    been    exceptionally   good 
during  the  previous  two  years,  owing  to  the  rainfall  having  been 
much  above  the  average.     Of  trees  of  course  there  were  none  to 
be  seen,  and  of  siirubs  only  a  few  stunted  representatives,  scattered 
singly  or  in  patches.     A  species  of  rank  grass,  however,  flourished, 
and  here  and  there  a  rather  stately  fungus  raised  its  head  as  if  in 
defiance  of  its  otherwise  sterile  surroundings,  the  blown  sand  of 
the  foreshore  supplying  sufficient  nutriment  for  its  humble  wants. 
Of  dead  shells   a  great   variety   were  picked   up   on   the   beach 
between  tide  marks,  including  representatives  of  the  genera  Area, 
Patella,  Cardiiiiit,  Hatfa,  Littoriita,  and  Strovibns ;  a  very  perfect 
Spirilla  shell  was  also    noticed.     The  blown-sand    ridges  above 
high-water  mark  were  everywhere  perforated  by  the  burrows  of 
a  very  active  grey-coloured  crab  {Retniles  sciitcllalits),  whose  feet 
terminated   in  sharp   incurved  claws  admirably  adapted    for  the 
creature's    mining   operations.      Its   burrows   extended    obliquely 
downwards,  and  to  a  depth  of  two  feet  from  the  surface  of  the 
blown-sand    ridges.      A    couple   of  grasshoppers    were    tlie    only 
other  additions  made  on  this  occasion  to  our  zoological  collection. 
The  afternoon  of  the  next  day  (24th  October)  I  was  enabled 
to  devote  to  dredging  operations,  working  over  the  bay  at  depths 
varj'ing   from    two    to  twelve  fathoms.      From  these  I   obtained 
some  large  and  active  specimens  of  a  large  wing-shell,  the  Strontbiis 
pitgilis,  whose  gymnastic  performances,  when  subsequently  placed 
in  a  vessel  of  sea  water,  excited  general  interest.     Armed  with 
his  long  powerful  foot,  he  struck  out  boldly  in  all  directions,  the 
operculated   extremity  acting  like  a  sword   blade,  and   alarming 
me    for    the    safety   of   the   seaweeds   and    other    more    delicate 


Life  on  the  Ocean  Surface.  17 

organisms  which  occupied  tlic  same  vessel.  Wlicn  disposed  to 
turn  about,  it  protruded  tlic  foot  so  as  to  half  encircle  the  shell, 
and  by  then  rapidly  straightening  the  organ  the  desired  change 
of  position  was  effected.  It  was  very  interesting  to  see  the 
complete  control  which  the  animal  thus  exercised  over  its  heavy 
and  apparently  unwieldy  shell.  In  twelve  fathoms  of  water  we 
came  upon  a  great  quantity  of  blue-spined  Echini,  the  tangles 
of  the  dredge  in  one  short  haul  bringing  up  about  two  dozen. 
Fishing-lines  were  also  brought  into  requisition,  resulting  in  the 
capture  of  some  fishes  of  a  pale  crimson  colour,  belonging  to  the 
bicnny  family. 

In  the  evening  of  this  day  (24th  October)  we  sailed  from  St. 
Vincent.  Up  to  the  29th  instant  the  north-east  trade  wind 
proved  fairly  propitious,  but  it  now  failed  us  completely  ;  and  as 
we  were  at  this  time  in  latitude  8"  N.,  and  there  were  otherwise 
unmistakable  indications  of  our  having  arrived  at  the  "Doldrums  " 
(the  region  of  equatorial  calms),  steam  was  had  recourse  to. 
Under  this  artificial  stimulus  we  proceeded  at  a  rate  of  from  five 
to  six  knots,  a  speed  unfortunately  too  great  for  the  use  of 
the  tow-net ;  and  on  this  occasion  the  circumstance  was  all  the 
more  vexatious,  as  the  surface  water  seemed  peculiarly  rich  in 
animal  life.  Ultimately,  however,  determining  on  sacrificing  some 
bunting  in  the  cause  of  science,  I  put  a  tow-net  over  the  stern, 
and  the  captain  aided  me  materially  by  towing  from  the  end  of 
the  lower  studding-sail  boom  a  ten-foot  trawl-net.  Between  tiie 
two  we  succeeded  in  capturing  some  water  insects  of  the  genus 
Ilalobatcs,  several  beautiful  large  lanthince,  but  unfortunately 
with  their  fragile  shells  partly  broken  and  severed  from  their 
rafts  ;  also  a  Physalia,  a  small  free-swimming  Actinia,  some 
discophorous  Medusa;,  and  several  Pteropod  Molluscs  of  the 
genus  Hyalea.  For  several  consecutive  days  the  surface  water 
after  dusk  was  thronged  with  the  above-mentioned  Medusae,  whose 
tough  gelatinous  discs,  of  three  inches  diameter,  continually 
clogged  up  the  meshes  of  the  tow-net.      On  the  2nd  of  November 

2 


i8  Crui:e  0/  lite  ''Akrir 

we  obtained  some  Globigcrina  forms,  several  Crustaceans,  some 
minute  Pteropods  of  the  genus  Cuvicria,  and  a  host  of  minute 
Confervs,  of  the  kind  met  with  previously  to  the  northward  ol 
Madeira.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  November,  when  we 
were  about  a  hundred  miles  from  St.  Paul's  Rocks,  we  noticed 
that  the  little  petrels,  which  for  weeks  had  accompanied  us  in 
great  numbers,  were  now  feebly  represented,  and  in  the  evening 
were  completely  gone.  Perhaps  they  had  found  out  their  pro.xi- 
mity  to  terra  finiia,  and  were  gone  for  a  run  on  shore.  It  is 
very  strange  how  these  birds,  which  follow  ships  over  the  ocean 
for  thousands  of  miles,  can  manage  to  time  their  journeys  so  as  to 
reach  land  for  their  breeding  season.  That  the  same  individuals 
do  follow  ships  for  such  great  distances  we  have  good  evidence  ; 
for  Captain  King,  in  his  voyage  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle, 
mentions  a  case  in  which  the  surgeon  of  a  ship,  coming  home 
from  Australia,  having  caught  a  Cape  pigeon  (^Dapteon  capo/sis), 
which  had  been  following  the  ship,  tied  a  piece  of  ribbon  to  it 
as  a  mark,  and  then  set  it  free.  The  bird,  recognized  in  this  waj-, 
was  observed  to  follow  them  for  a  distance  of  no  less  than  5,000 
miles. 

From  the  last  date  to  the  Qth  of  November,  but  little  of  interest 
occurred.  One  day  a  petrel  {Thalassidroma  pelagica)  had  been 
caught  with  a  skein  of  thread  ;  and  on  opening  the  body  the 
crop  was  found  to  contain  a  number  of  stony  particles,  bits  of 
cinders,  minute  shells,  and  otolites  of  fishes.  In  the  tow-net  we 
caught  a  number  of  Rhizopods,  of  ^  inch  diameter,  which  kept 
continually  unfolding  and  shutting  up  their  bodies  in  telescopic 
fashion.  When  quiescent,  the  animal  is  egg-shaped,  and  about 
the  size  of  a  mustard  seed  ;  but  when  elongated,  it  is  twice  that 
length,  and  exhibits  a  tubular  sort  of  proboscis  armed  with  an 
irregular  circle  of  vibrating  cilia.  We  also  obtained  a  Pteropod 
resembling  the  Criseis  aciculata,  an  lanthina,  and  some  hyaline 
amoibiform  bodies,  which  were  entirely  bc)'ond  my  powers  of 
recognition.     On   the  following  day  we  got  more  of  the  pretty 


Our  Dredging  Experiments.  19 

violet  shells  {laiilhiiia  fmgilis),  several  Crustaceans,  including  a 
large  and  perfect  Glass-crab  {Phyllosovid),  and  several  large  Salpa: 
and  MedusjE. 

On  the  1 2th  of  November  we  entered  the  north  limit  of  our 
surveying  ground,  being  in  latitude  17°  S.,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
theAbrolhos  Bank.  Here,  in  latitude  17°  18'  S.,  longitude  35°  34' 
W.,  we  made  a  cast  with  Bailie's  deep-sea  sounding  apparatus  ; 
reaching  bottom  in  1,975  fathoms,  and  finding  it  to  consist  of 
"  Globigerina  mud,"  of  a  pasty  tenacity,  tinged  with  red,  and 
containing  a  great  mass  of  Globigerina  tests,  whole  and  frag- 
mentary. Later  in  the  day,  when  in  latitude  17°  32'  S.,  longitude 
35°  46'  W.,  we  again  sounded,  getting  bottom  in  700  fathoms, 
and  bringing  up  a  sort  of  light-grey  ooze.  Towards  evening  we 
struck  soundings  in  thirty-five  fathoms,  over  the  Hotspur  Bank. 
There  we  made  a  successful  haul  of  the  dredge,  finding  the  bottom 
composed  of  dead  coral  encrusted  with  Nullipores,  Polyzoa,  and 
slimy  Alg.x,  and  containing  in  its  crevices  some  Crustaceans  of 
the  genera  Acta;a  and  Corallana,  and  a  few  Annelids.  The  stony 
masses  of  coral  which  we  brought  up  were  pierced  in  all  direc- 
tions by  boring  molluscs ;  and  one  specimen  of  a  long  elaborately 
woven  sponge  (which  has  since  been  described  by  Mr.  S.  O. 
Ridley,  of  the  British  Museum,  as  a  new  variety  of  CladocJialina 
armigerd)  was  found  attached  to  a  lump  of  coral. 

The  next  day  we  sounded  in  latitude  1 8°  4'  S.,  longitude 
36°  i'  W.,  using  the  Lucas  wire  sounder.  We  reached  bottom 
in  300  fathoms,  the  bulldog  apparatus  bringing  up  fragments  of 
coral  rock  encrusted  with  calcareous  Alga;.  In  the  afternoon  we 
passed  into  deeper  water,  sounding  over  the  Globigerina  ooze 
area,  in  1,395  ind  2,025  fathoms.  The  surface  water  again 
exhibited  the  same  conferva- like  bodies  wliich  were  so  abun- 
dantly obtained  near  Madeira.  The  Pyrocystis  noctiluca  was 
also  largely  represented  ;  and  in  the  evening  the  tow-net  was 
found  to  contain  small  cuttle  fish,  some  dead  spirorbis  shells, 
specimens    of  the  Criseis   ariculata,   Cleodora   p}ramidata,  and  of 


20  Ciuise  of  the  "Ahrt:' 

a  species  of  Hylca,  and  a  thick  fleshy  PteropoJ,  a  species  of 
I'ncumodcrmon,  small  globe  fishes,  many  long,  transparent,  stalk- 
cycd  Crustaceans,  and  other  minute  members  of  the  same  class 
of  Arthropoda. 

On  the  14th  of  November  we  sounded   in  latitude    I9°43'  S., 
longitude   36°  5'  W.,  the  bottom  consisting  of  a  pale  chocolate- 
coloured  tenacious  mud.    Towards  evening  wc  reached  the  position 
of  the  Montague  Bank,  which  is  indicated  on  the  chart  as  a  bank 
about  three  miles  long,  and  in  one  part  covered  by  only  thirty- 
six  fathoms   of  water.     We   sounded   for   this  bank    repeatedly, 
but  in  vain,  nowhere  getting  bottom  with  470  fathoms  of  line. 
The  ship  was  now  allowed  to  drift  during  the  night-time,  sound- 
ings being  made  from  time  to  time  ;   and  towards   morning  we 
filled  our  sails  to  a  northerly  breeze,  and  stood  on  for  the  Victoria 
Rank.    In  the  afternoon  we  met  with  a  large  school  of  sperm  whales 
{Physeter  macrocephalus)^  displaying  to  advantage,  as  usual,  their 
huge  cylindrical  snouts,  and  alternately  their  great  spreading  tails ; 
this  circling  exercise  appearing  to  be  a  favourite  amusement  of  theirs. 
On  reaching  the  Victoria  Bank,  we  hauled  the  dredge  in  thirty- 
nine  fathoms,  but  dropping  on  a  rugged  coral  bottom,  the   bag 
was  torn  to  pieces  ;  however,  the  tangles  contained  numbers  of  an 
oval-shaped  sponge,  varying  in  length  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
to  an  inch,  and  studded  with  beautiful  glassy  spicules  (determined 
by  Mr.  Ridley  to  be  a  new  species  of  Chalina),  and  also  numbers 
of  the  genera  Vioa,    Nardoa,   Aphocera,  and  Grantia.     Among 
Polyzoa,  the  genera  Canda,  Membranipora,  Cribriilina,  Gigantopora, 
Rhyncopora,  Smittia,  and  CcUepora  were  represented.    Our  opera- 
tions in  the  Abrolhos  region  being  now  at  an  end,  we  shaped  a 
course  for  Monte  Video. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  when  we  were  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  Brazilian  coast,  and  in  about  the  latitude  of  Rio,  great 
numbers  of  moths  appeared,  hovering  about  the  ship,  and  settling 
on  the  rigging.  The  wind  was  at  the  time  blowing  freshly  from 
the  westward;    but  the   moths   appeared,  strange   to   say,  as   if 


Vitality  of  ilie  Sphinx  JlJotli.  21 

comintj  up  from  the  south-eastward.  Conspizuous  among  them 
by  their  great  numbers  as  well  as  by  their  formidable  appear- 
ance, were  the  Sphinx  moths.  These  large  insects  seemed  gifted 
with  marvellous  powers  of  flight;  for  although  the  wind  amounte  1 
to  a  fresh  breeze,  I  noticed  that  they  were  not  only  able  to  hold 
their  own,  but  even  to  make  headway  against  it.  We  concluded, 
however,  .that  nearer  in  shore  the  wind  was  much  stronger,  perhaps 
reaching  us  so  as  an  upper  current,  and  that  it  had  consequently 
blown  them  off  the  land.  Later  in  the  day  tlie  Lepidoptera 
were  represented  in  still  greater  variety,  so  that  altogether  the 
ship  exhibited  an  unusually  sportive  appearance;  men  and  officers 
alike  striking  out  with  their  caps  here  and  there,  as  they  pursued 
the  objects  of  their  fancy.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  collected 
no  less  than  seventeen  species,  of  which  fourteen  were  motiis,  and 
the  remainder  butterflies.  As  illustrating  t!ie  great  tenacity  of 
life  of  the  Sphin.x  moths,  I  may  mention  that,  in  the  case  of  one 
refractory  individual,  it  was  only  after  cmplo)ing  all  the  deadly 
resources  at  the  time  at  my  command,  viz.,  prussic  acid,  ammonia, 
o.xalic  acid,  chloroform,  crushing  the  thorax,  etc.,  that  I  could 
succeed  in  removing  all  the  ordinary  manifestations  of  life. 
However,  as,  after  long  incarceration  in  a  bottle  filled  with  the 
fumes  of  chloroform,  he  at  length  appeared  to  have  succumbed,  I 
proceeded  to  remove  the  contents  of  his  large  fleshy  body.  This 
done,  I  filled  in  the  body  with  cotton  wadding,  and  placing  the 
specimen  on  one  side,  proceeded  to  operate  on  another.  But  no 
sooner  had  I  put  down  the  specimen  thus  prepared,  than  it  pro- 
ceeded to  kick  about  in  a  most  vigorous  way,  and  otherwise  gave 
unmistakable  signs  of  vitality.  On  turning  it  on  its  legs,  it 
crawled  about,  clung  to  my  finger,  and  seemed  to  imply  that 
it  could  get  on  just  as  well  with  a  cotton  interior  as  with  the 
whole  complicated  apparatus  of  intestine  and  so  forth,  which  it 
had  given  me  so  much  trouble  to  remove. 

It  was  a  strange  cuincidcncc,  that  among  the   contents  of  the 
tow-net   on   this  occasion    was  a  large  black  Chr)salis.      It    also 


2  2  Cruise  o/ the   "Alerts 

contained  a  great  number  of  little  phosphorescent  spheres,  which, 
under  a  high  magnifj^ing  power,  proved  to  be  similar  to  the  bodies 
described  by  Sir  \\'yville  Thompson,  under  the  term  Pyrocyitis 
noctiluca.  On  the  same  day  we  entered  the  Albatross  region,  one 
large  white  bird  {Dioiiicdea  cx-iilans)  and  several  sootics  {Diomedea 
fuliginosa)  soaring  around  our  ship.  Some  land  birds  were  also 
seen,  one  of  which,  a  species  of  finch  (?)  was  captured  and 
preser\'ed. 

On  the  24th  of  November  we  approached  within  eighty  miles  of 
the  Brazilian  coast,  and  on  getting  soundings  in  forty-eight  fathoms, 
immediately  put  the  dredge  overboard.  The  hempen  tangles  con- 
tained starfishes  of  three  or  four  species,  and  the  bag  brought  up 
a  mass  of  bluish  tenacious  mud,  which,  on  sifting,  was  found  to 
contain  some  Crustaceans  and  tube-building  Annelids,  and  many 
small  shells,  living  and  dead,  of  the  genera  Dentalium,  Hyalca, 
Area,  and  others.  About  the  same  time  a  turtle  was  observed 
floating  on  the  water. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  26th,  land — the  coast  of  Uruguay — was 
in  view  on  our  starboard  beam,  a  long  low  line  of  beach,  whose 
uniform  outline  was  broken  by  a  conspicuous  tall  lighthouse,  which 
stamped  the  locality  as  Cape  Santa  Maria.  A  few  hours  later 
we  obtained  a  view  of  Lobos  Islands,  a  bare-looking  uninviting 
mass  of  rock,  situated  just  off  RIaldonado  Point ;  and  as  wc  now 
fairly  entered  the  estuary  of  the  Plate,  a  number  of  large  gulls 
(apparently  of  the  genus  Dominicanus)  joined  us,  eagerly  picking 
up  any  offal  cast  overboard. 

We  arrived  at  Monte  Video  on  the  27th  of  November,  and 
stayed  until  the  14th  of  December,  during  this  time  making 
several  trips  into  the  countiy. 

On  one  occasion  I  went  by  train  to  a  place  called  Colon, 
about  ten  miles  to  the  N.W.  of  Monte  Video.  Starting  from  the 
central  station  of  the  Northern  Railway,  I  took  my  seat  in  a  clean 
well-fitted  carriage,  with  two  other  passengers,  one  of  whom,  my 
vis-d-vis,  might  have  realized  one's  ideas  of  a  Guj'  Fawkes.    In  the 


IVe  arrive  at  Jllojife    Video.  23 

course  of  the  journey,  tin's  individual  somewhat  surprised  me  by 
diving  his  hand  into  a  back  coat  pocket,  and  producing  therefrom 
a  formidable-looking  silver-sheathed  dagger,  which,  however,  to 
my  relief,  he  quietly  laid  down  beside  him  on  the  seat,  perhaps 
that  he  might  th^;  more  conveniently  stretch  himself  out  ;  possibly 
because  he  thought  me  a  suspicious  companion,  and  wished  to 
show  in  time  that  he  was  not  unprepared  in  case  of  an  attack. 

About  Colon  the  country  was  open  enough,  presenting  to  the  eye 
a  great  bare  tract  of  weedy-looking  land  varied  by  gently  undulat- 
ing hills,  and  studded  with  oxen  innumerable;  the  farm-houses, 
low  structures  disposed  about  half  a  mile  apart,  hardly  breaking 
the  monotony  of  the  landscape.  Here  and  there  a  gaily  capari- 
soned Gaucho  cantered  about,  apparently  without  any  fi.xcd  object, 
except  to  enjoy  his  liberty,  and  gave  a  picturesque  character  to 
the  scene.  These  Gauchos  are  really  fine-looking  fellows,  well 
mounted,  and  most  excellent  horsemen.  They  have  about  them 
a  certain  air  of  well-fed  contentment,  which,  in  spite  of  their  known 
ferocity,  almost  elicits  admiration.  It  is  a  popular  error  to  apply 
the  term  "  Gaucho  "  indiscriminately  to  all  the  horse-riding  com- 
munity of  the  lower  classes,  for  the  term  is  properly  only  appli- 
cable to  those  homeless  wandering  horse-riders  whose  sole  worldly 
possession  consists  of  a  horse  and  its  trappings,  who  roam  about 
from  place  to  place,  picking  up  whatever  they  can  appropriate  by 
fair  means  or  foul,  and  who,  consequently,  do  not  enjoy  a  very  high 
reputation  among  the  settled  inhabitants.  The  word  "Gaucho"  is 
looked  upon  as  a  term  of  reproach,  and  an  honest,  self-respecting 
I^easant  so  addressed  would  reply,  "No,  Sefior,  no  soy  Gaucho,  soy 
I'aysano."  By  a  clever  stroke  of  policy  the  present  dictator  of 
Uruguay,  Seiior  Letore,  has  almost  succeeded  in  putting  a  stop 
to  the  infamous  practice  of  "cattle  lifting,"  formerl)'  so  common 
among  the  "  Gauchos."  Their  equipment  usuall)'  includes  a  long 
strip  of  hide,  ostensibly  carried  as  a  tether  for  the  horse,  but 
frequently  turned  to  account  as  a  lasso.  A  law  has  now  been 
enacted,  and  is  rigidly  enforced,  restricting  the  length  of  this  rope 


24  Cruise  of  the  '■^AkrL^' 

to  five  "brazcros,"  i.e.,  five  arm  spans;  and  as  it  is  in  consequence 
much  too  short  to  answer  the  purpose  of  a  lasso,  these  mounted 
tramps  are  no  longer  able  to  capture  stray  bullocks  for  the  sole 
pleasure  of  gouging  out  the  tongue  as  a  dainty  dish.  Indeed,  a 
gcnt'cman  of  Durazno,  for  many  j-ears  resident  in  the  countr}-, 
informed  me  that  it  was  now  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  Gaucho 
carrying  a  hempen  rope  instead  of  a  thong,  the  want  of  a  lasso 
leaving  him  without  the  means  of  helping  himself  to  a  cowhide. 

About  Colon  the  prevailing  plants  were  a  large  thistle  and  a 
purple-flowered  Echiiim,  and  these  so  predominated  as  at  a  distance 
to  seem  to  cover  the  entire  surface  of  the  ground.  A  light  fall  of 
rain,  and  a  puffy  breeze,  combined  to  make  it  a  bad  day  for  insect 
hunting,  and  accordingly  very  few  of  these  creatures  were  seen  or 
captured.  Of  birds,  the  cardinal  grosbeak,  partridges,  and  pigeons, 
were  abundant. 

Some  days  subsequently  we  received,  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  directors  of  the  railway  company,  permission  to  travel  free 
to  the  extremity  of  their  line,  and  of  this  indulgence  we  availed 
ourselves  so  far  as  to  make  a  trip  to  Durazno,  the  northern  ter- 
minus of  the  railway.  Accordingly,  a  party  consisting  of  the  captain 
and  four  of  us  ward-room  officers  started  by  a  train  leaving  the  cen- 
tral terminus  at  seven  in  the  morning.  This  railway,  which  has  been 
'for  eleven  years  in  existence,  and  for  a  long  time  struggling  against 
unfavourable  circumstances  (rebellion  and  so  forth),  is  now  gradu- 
ally assuming  a  prosperous  condition,  and  has  been  extended  so 
far  that  it  now  pierces  the  republic  of  Uruguay  in  a  northern 
direction,  to  a  distance  of  128  miles  from  Monte  Video.  As  we 
emerged  from  the  precincts  of  the  town,  and  passed  through  a 
hamlet  called  "Bclla-Vista,"  on  the  shores  of  the  bay,  we  noticed 
here  and  there  woods  of  the  eucalyptus  tree  growing  in  great  luxuri- 
ance to  a  height  of  eighty  and  even  a  hundred  feet,  the  foliage  of 
adjoining  trees  being  so  interlocked  as  to  afford  considerable  patches 
of  shelter  from  the  sun's  rays.  Sir  George  Nares,  who  has  had 
some  experience  of  these  trees  in  Australia,  where  they  are  indi- 


Railway   Trip  to  Durazno.  25 

genous,  said  that  he  had  rarely  seen  them  clad  with  so  dense  a 
foliage.  We  were  told  that  these  trees  had  been  imported  and 
planted  only  twelve  years  previously;  yet  such  is  their  rapidity  of 
growth,  that  they  are  now  of  the  magnitude  of  forest  trees.  On 
reaching  a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles  from  Monte  V'idco,  the 
number  of  trees  (none  of  which,  except  the  willows,  were  indigenous) 
had  so  far  decreased,  that  the  few  solitary  representatives  which 
dotted  the  landscape  served  only  to  render  the  paucity  of  the  race 
the  more  remarkable.  The  surface  configuration  of  the  land  was 
everywhere  the  same — a  gently  undulating  grass-covered  plain, 
where  the  depths  from  crest  to  hollow  averaged  about  thirty  feet, 
admitting  a  range  of  vision  of  about  twelve  miles  from  the  summit 
of  each  rise.  Of  ravines,  fissures,  or  gullies,  there  were  none;  and 
as  the  railway  track  had  evaded  the  difficulties  of  le\elling  bj- 
pursuing  a  most  meandering  course,  not  even  a  cutting  was  to  be 
seen  to  afford  means  for  arriving  at  a  geological  examination  of 
the  district.  About  the  station  of  Indepcndencia,  rock  was  to  be 
seen  for  the  first  time,  consisting  of  a  coarse-grained  (apparently 
felspathic)  granite,  showing  itself  through  the  alluvial  soil  in  the 
shape  of  low  rounded  masses,  or  as  boulders  disseminated  in 
streams  directed  radially  from  the  outcropping  source.  At  the 
next  station,  appropriately  named  "Las  Piedras"  (the  stones),  the 
rock  was  in  greater  proportion ;  and  during  the  remainder  of  our 
journey  north,  perhaps  ortcc  in  every  ten  miles,  the  wide  expanse 
of  grass-land  would  be  varied  b\'  an  odd-looking  outcrop  of  granite. 
Stone  was  evidently  a  rare  commodity  in  these  parts,  most  of  the 
huts  being  built  of  sticks  and  mud. 

As  far  as  Santa  Lucia,  a  station  about  forty  miles  from  Monte 
Video,  the  land  (di\'idcd  into  fields  by  hedgerows  of  aloe.s)  was 
studded  thickly  enough  with  large  prickly  thistles  of  a  very 
coarse  description  ;  but  to  the  northward  of  this  position  the 
prominent  features  of  the  landscape  underwent  a  change.  Trees 
disappeared  altogether,  and  e.vccpt  along  the  river  banks,  where 
some   bushes    resembling    bog-mj-rtle    eked   out   an   existence,  no 


26  Cruise  of  the  "Alette 

blirubs  were  to  be  seen.  Thistles  were  still  present,  but  in  very 
small  numbers,  and  indeed  there  was  little  to  meet  the  eye  but 
a  wide  expanse  of  grass-land  dotted  here  and  there  with  herds 
of  oxen,  sheep,  and  horses  (which  seemed  in  very  small  pro- 
portion to  the  acreage^,  and  exhibiting,  at  distances  of  about 
two  miles  apart,  small  one-storied  huts.  For  ploughing  and 
other  agricultural  work,  oxen  seemed  to  be  used,  to  the  exclusion 
of  horses  ;  which  is  all  the  more  strange,  as  the  latter  here  exist 
in  great  abundance,  and  are  so  cheap  as  to  create  that  equestrian 
peasantry  which  to  a  European  visitor  is,  I  think,  the  most  striking 
characteristic  of  the  country. 

As  one  of  the  up-trains  passed  by  us  at  the  station  of  Joashim 
Suarez,  we  noticed  several  trucks  piled  up  with  ox  skulls  and 
other  bones,  and  on  enquiry  ascertained  that  they  were  for 
exportation  to  England,  to  be  used  in  sugar-refining  factories: 
the  bones  were  piled  up  so  high  on  the  trucks  as  to  tower 
above  the  engine,  so  that  as  the  train  approached  us  end -on, 
they  formed  a  ghastly  sort  of  figure-head. 

At  Santa  Lucia  the  train  stopped  iialf  an  hour  for  refresh- 
ments, and  all  hands  adjourned  to  an  hotel  close  by  the  railway 
station,  where  a  good  breakfast,  consisting  of  many  courses 
(including  beefsteak  and  potatoes),  was  satisfactorily  disposed  of. 
The  charge  for  this  repast  was  moderate,  being  only  six  reals= 
3s.  6d.  a  head. 

Of  birds  a  great  many  were  to  be  seen  as  we  travelled  along. 
Looking  forward  from  the  carriage  windows,  we  could  see  ground 
doves  of  a  dull  slate  colour,  rising  from  the  track,  and  sheering 
off  to  either  side  in  great  flocks,  as  the  train  advanced.  A 
species  of  lapwing,  with  bluish-grey  plumage  barrcil  with  white 
across  the  wings,  and  displaying  a  pair  of  long  red  legs,  kept 
us  continually  ali\e  to  its  presence  by  its  harsh  double  cry. 
Partridges  were  also  abundant.  These  birds  are  strictlj'  preserved 
all  over  Uruguaj-,  and  during  the  breeding  season,  from  September 
to   March,   no   shooting  of  any   kind    is    allowed    without    special 


Bird-life  at  Ditrazno.  27 

permission.  VVc  saw  one  flock  of  ostriches  stalking  about 
unconcernedly  among  the  cattle.  We  were  subsequently  told 
that  the  ostriches  in  this  district  were  all  allowed  to  run  wild, 
the  value  of  the  feathers  not  repaying  the  cost  of  farming. 
Of  deer,  the  largest  indigenous  mammal,  we  saw  only  one 
individual,  browsing  quietly  among  a  herd  of  cattle.  They  are 
allowed  to  come  or  go  as  they  please,  not  being  sought  after 
or  utilizbd  by  the  inhabitants. 

On  arriving  at  Durazno  we  were  most  hospitably  received  and 
entertained  by  Mr.  Ware,  the  engineer  of  the  railway,  under 
whose  guidance  we  inspected  the  sights  of  this  dilapidated 
country  town,  and  then  proceeded  to  explore  the  banks  of  the 
river  Yi,  a  tributary  of  the  Rio  Negro,  where  a  great  variety 
of  animal  life  was  to  be  seen.  There  was  here  a  large  lagoon 
bordered  with  low  bushes,  a  favourite  haunt  of  the  largest 
living  rodent,  the  capj-bara  or  "  carpincho,"  as  the  natives 
call  it,  and  also  largely  stocked  with  birds.  Snipe  and  dottrel 
were  here  so  tame  as  to  allow  one  to  approach  within  a  few 
yards  of  them.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  had  the  good 
fortune  to  meet  a  RTr.  Edye,  an  Englishman,  who,  during  thirteen 
years'  residence  in  the  Plate,  had  acquired  a  considerable  insight 
into  the  natural  history  of  the  country.  He  told  us  that  a  great 
variety  of  birds  inhabit  the  low  bushes  of  the  "  Monte "  (as 
they  call  the  shallow  valley  of  the  river),  including  three  species 
of  the  cardinal,  one  humming  bird,  the  calandria  or  South 
American  nightingale,  etc.  With  reference  to  the  tucutuco 
{Ctenoviys),  he  assured  us,  contrary  to  the  opinion  expressed  by 
Dr.  Darwin,  in  his  "  Journal  of  a  Naturalist,"  as  to  the  animals 
never  coming  to  the  surface,  that  the  little  rodents  were  commonly 
to  be  seen  near  their  holes  about  the  time  of  dusk,  and  that 
they  invariably  retreated  to  the  burrows  on  the  near  approach 
of  a  human  being.  He  considered  it  almost  impossible  to  catch 
them,  but  had  no  doubt  about  tlieir  habit  of  coming  to  the 
surface.      As    we    strolled    along    the    ri\-er    banks,    we    saw    and 


28  Cruise  of  the  ''Alcrtr 

captured  a  black  snake  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long,  which 
was  swimming  gracefully  from  bank  to  bank,  with  its  head 
elevated  about  two  inches  from  the  top  of  the  water.  We  also 
got  some  living  specimens  of  a  river  mussel,  which  is  here  used 
as  fish  bait. 

Everywhere  among  the  English-speaking  community  we  heard 
the  same  gloomy  accounts  of  the  dulncss  of  trade,  arising  from 
the  yet  unsettled  state  of  the  country.  All  agreed  that  the 
present  Dictator  was  managing  the  country  admirably,  but  ex- 
pressed their  fears  that  he  would  some  day  be  "  wiped  out,"  as 
others  had  been  before  him,  and  that  the  country  would  again 
relapse  into  a  state  of  anarchy  and  brigandage. 

Some  days  later  I  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  Buenos 
Ayres,  the  capital  of  the  Argentine  Republic,  situated  on  the 
opposite  or  south  shore  of  the  river  Plate.  Accompanied  by 
Lieut.  Gunn,  I  started  from  Monte  \'idco  on  the  evening  of  the 
9th  of  December,  taking  passage  on  board  one  of  the  river 
steamers  {ViUa  de  Salto),  then  plying  daily  between  the  two 
cities.  The  distance,  I20  miles,  is  usually  traversed  at  night- 
time, and  in  this  arrangement  sight-seers  lose  nothing,  as,  owing 
to  the  lowness  of  the  banks  and  the  great  width  of  the  river,  the 
opposite  shores  are  barely  visible  from  a  position  in  mid-channel. 
Our  fellow-passengers,  about  eighty  in  number,  represented 
Spanish,  Italian,  and  English  nationalities,  and  among  the  latter 
we  were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  two  gentlemen  residing  in 
the  country,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  the  captain,  a  jovial,  hos- 
pitable American,  wc  were  indebted  for  much  interesting  infor- 
mation concerning  the  men  and  manners  of  the  country.  After 
dinner — a  long,  ponderous  affair — had  been  disposed  of,  a  general 
dispersion  took  place,  the  gentlemen  to  smoke,  and  the  ladies 
to  their  cabins  ;  but  in  an  hour  or  so  the  latter  again  appeared 
in  the  saloon,  arrayed  in  evening  dress  of  a  more  gay  and  airy 
character  than  that  worn  at  dinner,  and  they  now  applied  them- 
selves diligently   to    the    luxury   of  matd   drinking.      The   fluid 


lie  visit  Buenos  Ay  res.  29 

known  as  mate  is  an  infusion  of  the  leaves  of  the  li^x  Para- 
gitayensis,  commonly  called  Paraguay  tea,  and  is  usually  sucked 
through  metal  tubes  about  ten  inches  long,  from  a  gracefully 
carved  globular  wooden  receptacle  about  the  size  of  an  orange. 
One  stock  of  "  j-erba  "  seemed  to  stand  a  great  many  waterings 
and  SLigarings,  the  necessary  manipulations  for  which  furnished 
the  ladies  with  a  suitable  occupation.  It  was  amusing  to  watch 
the  eagerness  with  which  the  latter  sucked  away  at  their  mate 
tubes,  the  attitude  reminding  one  of  a  boy  using  a  decoy  whistle. 

We  anchored  off  the  town  of  Buenos  Ayres  at  an  early  hour 
the  next  morning,  and  here  the  inefficiency  of  the  landing  arrange- 
ments were  made  unpleasantly  manifest.  Three  different  means 
of  locomotion  were  resorted  to,  in  order  to  convey  us  from  the 
steamer  to  the  shore.  We  were  pulled  in  a  small  boat  for  a 
portion  of  the  way  ;  then,  as  the  boat  grounded,  the  rowers  got 
out,  and,  wading  alongside,  dragged  it  on  for  a  few  hundred  yards 
more.  We  were  then  transferred,  with  our  baggage,  to  a  high- 
wheeled  cart,  drawn  by  two  horses,  which  brought  us  through  the 
last  quarter  of  a  mile  of  shallow  water  fringing  the  shore.  The 
cost  of  effecting  a  landing  was  no  inconsiderable  item  in  the 
expense  of  our  trip,  and  was  moreover  one  calculated  to  preju- 
dice unfavourably  one's  first  impression  of  Buenos  Ayres. 

After  securing  rooms  at  the  Hotel  Universal,  and  breakfasting 
at  the  Strangers'  Club,  where  we  were  most  kindly  received  by 
the  secretary,  Mr.  Wilson,  we  proceeded  in  search  of  the  museum, 
so  celebrated  for  its  collection  of  fossil  remains  of  the  e.xtinct 
South  American  mammals,  arranged  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  Burmeister.  We  found  the  learned  Professor  enveloped  in 
white  dust,  and  busily  engaged  in  restoring  with  plaster  of  Paris 
the  spinous  process  of  the  vertebra  of  one  of  his  specimens  ;  and 
on  explaining  the  object  of  our  visit,  he  kindly  drew  our  attention 
to  the  principal  objects  of  interest  in  his  collection.  This  museum 
has  already  been  fully  described,  and  I  need  hardly  allude  to  the 
splendid  specimens  which  it  possesses   of  the  Gl\-[)todon,  Machai- 


30  Cruise  c/  the  '■'Alert." 

rodon,  Toxodon,  Mylodon,  and  other  fossils  ;  its  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  the  Chlamydophoriis  retusiis  (a  mole-like  armadillo),  the 
leathery  turtle  {Sphargis  coriaccd),  the  epiodon,  etc.  The  Pro- 
fessor pointed  with  great  pride  to  a  recent  specimen  of  armadillo, 
with  the  young  one  attached  to  its  hind-quarters  in  a  peculiar 
manner. 

On  the  same  day  we  inspected  the  Anthropological  Museum, 
which  is  in  a  large  building  in  the  Plaza  Victoria,  opposite  the 
old  market,  where  we  saw  a  fine  collection  of  Tehuelche  and 
Araucanian  skulls,  recently  made  by  Seflor  Moreno  in  his  travels 
through  Patagonia.  Among  others  was  the  skull  of  "Sam  Slick," 
a  son  of  the  celebrated  Casimiro,  the  Patagonian  cacique,  so  well 
known  for  many  )-ears  in  the  vicmity  of  Magellan  Straits.  We 
also  saw  a  mummified  specimen  of  a  Patagonian,  recently  found 
in  a  cave  at  Punta  Walichii,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Santa 
Cruz  river. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  called  upon  Mr.  Mulhall,  the 
enterprising  and  courteous  editor  of  the  Buenos  Ayrean  Standard, 
and  from  him  we  acquired  much  valuable  information  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  country.  On  taking  up  the  Standard  next 
morning,  we  found  ourselves  treated  to  an  editorial  notice  chro- 
nicling our  visit  to  the  Argentine  capital,  and  referring  to  the 
past  and  present  services  of  H.M.S.  Alert. 

Coming  fresh  from  so  neat  and  trim  a  town  as  Monte  Video, 
Buenos  Ayres  was  not  to  be  expected  to  impress  one  very 
favourably.  It  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  a  great  straggling  town  that, 
having  arrived  at  a  certain  degree  of  civilization,  had  now  for 
some  years  back  considered  itself  entitled  to  rest  on  its  laurels, 
and  gradually  fall  into  decay.  Streets,  plazas,  and  tramways  were 
in  a  wretched  state  of  neglect;  and  such  were  the  great  ruts  which 
time  and  traffic  had  made  in  the  streets,  that  baggage-carts 
might  be  seen  brought  to  a  dead  lock,  even  in  the  principal 
thoroughfares.  Buenos  Ayres  can  boast  of  several  fine  old 
public    buildings,  among   which  the    cathedral,  with    its    classic 


The  '■'■  Slone-runs''''  of  the  Falklands.  31 

front,  s*^ands  pre-eminent ;  and  although  there  are  some  fine 
pieces  of  modern  architecture,  such  as  the  Bolsa,  or  Exchange,  the 
latter  are  so  stowed  away  among  lofty  houses  in  narrow  streets, 
that  they  require  to  be  sjDecially  looked  for  to  be  noticed  at 
all.  I  must  qualify  the  above  observations  by  mentioning  that 
these  are  the  impressions  of  only  two  days'  sojourn  in  Buenos 
Ayres. 

Some  days  later,  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  Falkland 
Islands  (Mr.  Callaghan)  and  his  wife  arrived  at  Monte  Video,  en 
route  for  his  seat  of  government ;  and  as  the  sailing  schooner,  which 
was  the  only  regular  means  of  communication  between  Monte 
Video  and  the  Falklands,  was  then  crowded  with  passengers,  the 
Governor  gladly  accepted  Sir  George  Nares's  kind  invitation  to 
take  him  as  his  guest  on  board  the  Alert. 

We  left  Monte  Video  on  the  1 4th  of  December,  and  on  the 
26th,  amid  a  furious  storm  of  wind  and  hail,  anchored  in  Stanley 
Harbour,  Falkland  Islands.  Here  we  found  that  the  great  topic  of 
conversation  was  a  landslip  of  peat,  which  had  occurred  about  a 
month  previous  to  our  arrival,  laying  waste  a  portion  of  the  little 
settlement.  On  the  summit  of  a  hill  above  the  east  end  of  the 
town,  a  circular  patch  of  turf,  about  two  hundred  yards  in  diameter, 
had  collapsed  ;  and  at  the  same  time  a  broad  stream,  four  feet 
high,  of  semi-fluid  peat,  flowed  down  the  hillside  to  the  sea,  in 
its  course  sweeping  away  walls  and  gardens,  and  partly  burying 
the  houses.  This  phenomenon,  occurring  at  night,  caused  great 
consternation  among  the  inhabitants  of  such  an  uneventful  little 
place ;  but  after  the  people  had  shaken  themselves  together 
somewhat,  and  recovered  from  their  surprise,  they  found  that 
after  all  no  great  damage  had  been  done.  The  appearance  of  the 
peat  avalanche,  as  seen  from  the  ship,  was  very  peculiar,  and  in 
many  respects  the  whole  occurrence  resembled  a  lava  flow. 

On  the  evening  of  our  arrival,  we  were  most  hospitably  enter- 
tained at  Government  House,  where  we  had  also  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  all  the  rank  and  fashion  of  this  part  of  the  colony. 


o- 


Cruise  of  the  ''Alert:'' 


The  next  day,  being  fine,  I  determined  to  devote  to  .an  inspec- 
tion  of  the  "  stone   runs,"   wliich   have  been  rendered   so  famous 
in    the    geology  of  the    Falklands   by   the   writings   of  Darwin, 
Wj-ville  Thompson,  and  others.     In  this  excursion  I  was  fortu- 
nate in  having  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Watts,  the  colonial  surgeon, 
a  gentleman  who,  from   his  long   experience  of  the  group,  was 
well  acquainted  with  all  the  salient  points  in  its  natural  history. 
The   "run"    which  we   visited   lay  in    the  hollow   of  a   winding 
valley,  situated  about  two  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  settlement 
of  Stanley.     The    rocks,  heaped    together  confusedly,  formed    a 
so-called  "stone  river,"  varying  in  width  from  fifty  to  two  hundred 
yards,  and  extending  up  the  valley  as  a  single  "stream"  for  about 
one  mile  and  a  half,  to  a  point  where  it  seemed  as  if  originated 
by  a  confluence  of  tributary  streams  flowing  from  the  surrounding 
hills.     The  stones,    composed   of  quartzite,  presented    a  roughly 
rounded     appearance,    which    was    seemingly    due    to    excessive 
weathering ;   and  they  were  so  covered  with  lichens,  as  to  appear 
of  a  uniform  grey  colour.     Those  which  lay  below  the  surface 
were  of  a  rust  colour,  and,  by  all  accounts,  the  upturned  stones 
required  an  exposure  of  many  years  to  assume  the  uniform  grey 
tint  of  the  surface  layer.     The  margin  of  the  "run"  was  distinctly 
defined  by  an    abrupt  edge    of  swampy  soil,  with    its   tangled 
vegetation  of  diddle-dee,  tea-plant,  and  balsam'  bog.     Now,  why 
are  the  stones  of  the  "  run  "  so  entirely  destitute  of  soil .'    and 
why  do  they  exhibit  a   margin  so  sharp   and  well  defined,  yet 
without  the  elevated,  rounded  appearance  of  a  river  bank  .'     Sir 
Wyville  Thompson's  theory,  it  seems  to  me,  falls  short  of  explain- 
ing this.      I  have-  as  yet  seen  too  little  of  the  country  to  justify 
me  in   forming   a  fixed  opinion  ;    but  I  am,  so  far,  inclined  to 
think  that  these  "  streams  of  stones  "  are  of  a  date  anterior  to  the 
existence   of  peat   on  the    island,   and   that   the   peat  has  been 
approaching  the  valleys  from  the  elevated   land  by  growth  and 
slippage,  and  in  its  descent  has  encountered  difficulty  in  obtaining 
a  footing  in   those  places  where  the  stones  are  large,  and  being 


Growth  of  the  Peat.  33 

heaped  to  a  great  depth,  act  like  a  gigantic  drain,  and  so  prevent 
any  soil  from  forming.  As  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  no  attempt 
has  ever  been  made  to  estimate  the  rate  of  movement  (if  any)  of 
these  "  runs,"  and  there  is  no  evidence  whatever  of  their  motion 
during  the  present  century.  There  is  not  sufficient  land  com- 
prised by  the  watershed  to  form  torrents  capable  of  removing  the 
dense  mass  of  peaty  soil,  which,  according  to  Sir  W.  Thompson's 
theory,  would  have  been  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  the 
large  blocks  of  stone  that  are  here  accumulated.  The  inhabitants 
remark,  and  I  think  with  truth,  that  the  summits  of  the  hills  and 
the  upper  slopes  are  as  a  rule  more  wet  and  boggy  than  the 
hollows  below.  This  supports  my  view  of  the  drainage  being 
greatest  in  the  valleys  where  the  big  stones  were  originally  packed 
to  a  greater  depth,  and  towards  which  the  peat  is  now  encroach- 
ing. It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  surface  of  the  stream  is 
tolerably  flat,  and  docs  not  indicate  a  process  of  accumulation  by 
flow  from  either  side. 

To  Dr.  Watt.s,  my  guide  on  this  occasion,  I  was'  also  indebted 
for  a  skin  of  the  Falkland  Island  fox,  an  animal  now  almost 
extinct,  a  skull  of  the  sea  elephant,  and  a  dried  specimen  of 
the  petrel,  which  is  known  here  as  the  "fire  bird,"  from  its 
habit  of  dashing  itself  against  the  lantern  of  the  lighthouse,  at 
whose  base  dead   specimens  are   occasionally  found. 


CHArTER  11. 

EXPERIENCES   IN    PATAGONIA. 

WE  left  the  Falkland  Islands  on  the  evening  of  the  27th, 
and  sailed  to  the  westward.  On  the  morning  of  the  ist 
of  January,  1 879,  we  entered  the  eastern  entrance  of  the  Straits 
of  Magellan,  passing  within  easy  sight  of  Cape  Virgins  and 
Dungeness  Point.  As  we  approached  the  latter,  we  noticed 
a  herd  of  guanacoes  browsing  quietly  near  the  beach,  as  if 
a  passing  ship  were  an  object  familiar  to  their  eyes.  This,  our 
first  impression  of  the  famous  Straits,  was  certainly  favourable. 
A  winding  channel,  the  glassy  smoothness  of  whose  surface  was 
only  broken  by  the  splashing  of  cormorants,  steamer  ducks,  and 
other  sea-birds,  stretched  away  to  the  westward.  On  the  north 
side  were  the  low  undulating  plains  of  Patagonia,  covered  with 
their  summer  mantle  of  greenish-yellow  vegetation  ;  while  to 
the  southward  a  few  widely  separated  wreaths  of  blue  smoke, 
ascending  from  the  gloomy  shores  of  Tierra  del  Fucgo,  marked 
out  the  dwelling-place  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  varieties 
of  the  human  species.  Favoured  by  the  tide,  we  passed  rapidly 
through  the  first  Narrows,  and  at  6.30  in  the  evening  had  got 
as  far  as  Cape  Gregory.  Here  the  flood-tide  setting  strongly  to 
the  westward,  fairly  brought  us  to  a  standstill,  so  we  steamed  in 
towards  the  north  shore,  and  anchored  close  under  Cape  Gregory. 
A  party  of  us  who  were  bent  on  exploring  soon  landed,  and  pro- 
ceeded in  various  directions  in  quest  of  game,  antl  in  the  few 
remaining  hours  of   daylight    we    succeeded    in    getting    several 


Sandy  Poi7it  and  Port  Famine.  35 

ducks,  some  small  birds,  and  a  young  fox.  The  ground  was  for 
the  most  part  covered  with  a  sort  of  rank  grass,  through  wliich 
bushes  of  the  Berberry,  Evipctrinn  ritbnnn,  and  Myrtus  nuiiitnn- 
laria,  grew  luxuriantly.  A  very  pretty  dwarf  calceolaria  was  also 
abundant.  The  only  quadru[)cd  seen  was  a  fox,  but  the  tucutucos 
{Ctenoinys)  must  have  been  very  numerous,  for  the  ground  was 
riddled  in  all  directions  by  their  burrows.  Some  of  our  party, 
who  strolled  along  the  beach  towards  Gregory  Bay,  found  a  small 
settlement  of  Frenchmen,  who,  it  seemed,  had  recently  come  out 
here  to  try  their  hands  at  farming.  After  our  arrival  on  board, 
one  of  the  men  brought  me  a  specimen  of  a  Llyxine,  which 
had  come  up  on  his  fishing  line,  not  attached  to  the  Iiook,  but 
adhering  by  its  viscid  secretion  to  the  line  at  some  distance 
above  the  hook.  Of  this  curious  fish  I  subsequently  obtained 
many  specimens  in  the  western  Patagonian  channels. 

We  got  under  way  again  before  daylight,  and  about  eight 
in  the  morning  we  arrived  at  Sandy  Point.  This  interesting 
little  Chilian  settlement  was  established  in  the  year  1843,  and 
although  a  great  portion  of  it  was  burnt  to  the  ground  during 
the  mutiny  of  1877,  it  yet  shows  signs  of  ultimately  becoming 
a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Great  credit  is  due  to  the 
Chilian  Government  for  their  perseverance  in  maintaining  a 
settlement  in  this  wild  region,  notwithstanding  the  sad  fate  of 
the  colony  which  was  established  by  Sarmiento  in  1580,  at  a 
bay  to  the  westward  of  Sandy  Point,  which  he  named  "  Bahia 
de  la  Gentc."  On  Sarmiento's  return,  eight  years  subsequently, 
it  was  discovered  that  nearly  all  the  colonists  had  perished  of 
starvation.  That  bay  has  since  been  called  Port  Famine.  Of 
late  years  the  Straits  of  Magellan  have  been  largely  availed  of  by 
men-of-war  and  merchant  steamers.  Two  lines  of  mail  steamers, 
viz.,  the  P.  S.  N.  C.  and  the  Kosmos  line,  now  run  bi-monthly 
through  the  Straits  ;  and  as  all  these  vessels  touch  regularly  at 
Sandy  Point,  the  colonists  are  kept  in  frequent  communication 
with    the    rest    of   the    civilized    world.       For    some    j'cars    after 


36  Cruise  0/  the  ''A/ert." 

its  foundation  the  population  consisted  mainly  of  convicts,  under- 
going penal  servitude,  who  were  kept  in  control  by  a  small 
garrison  ;  but  since  the  mutiny  of  November  1877,  the  importation 
of  convicts  has  ceased,  and  as  a  consequence  labour  has  become 
scarce.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  there  were  1,100  inhabitants, 
including  the  garrison,  which  now  consists  of  120  men,  rank 
and  file,  all  of  whom  are  armed  with  the  Winchester  repeating 
rifle. 

The  country  possesses  at  least  two  great  sources  of  mineral 
wealth,  viz.,  gold  and  coal.  When  the  coal  mines  were  first 
established,  sanguine  ideas  were  entertained  of  their  success- 
ful working.  But  commercial  difficulties  arose.  The  company 
who  were  working  the  mines  became  involved  in  a  lawsuit, 
which,  whatever  may  have  been  the  rights  of  the  case,  has  at 
all  events  put  a  stop  to  mining  operations  ;  and  at  the  time 
of  our  visit  the  railway  leading  to  the  mine  seemed  to  be  going 
to  decay  ;  and  the  rolling  stock,  in  a  disjointed  state,  scattered 
about  the  whan"  and  line,  testified  to  the  stagnant  condition  of 
affairs. 

I  was  here  fortunate  in  finding  a  friend  in  the  Government 
(Chilian)  surgeon  of  the  settlement — Dr.  Fenton — with  whose 
assistance  and  guidance  I  made  some  pleasant  trips  into  the 
country  adjoining  Sandy  Point.  On  our  first  day  there  he 
kindly  provided  horses,  and  took  me  for  a  ride  into  the  forest, 
to  the  end  of  the  settlement.  There  I  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  evergreen  and  deciduous  beeches,  the  winter's  bark  as  well 
as  the  berberry,  diddle-dee,  and  other  plants,  of  which  we  saw  a 
great  deal  subsequently,  during  our  Patagonian  surveys.  As  we 
crossed  a  flat  dreary  plain  which  lay  between  the  margin  of 
the  forest  and  the  sea  coast,  we  encountered  a  great  number 
of  very  bold  hawks,  which  alighted  on  the  big  thistles  near 
our  bridle  path,  and  coolly  stared  at  us  as  wc  went  by.  We 
also  saw  flocks  of  Bandurria,  a  species  of  black  and  white  ibis, 
which  is  common   in  these  parts,  but  being  sought  after  by  the 


Incidetits  at  Sandy  PouiL  37 

Chilians  as  an  article  of  food,  has  naturally  become  distrustful 
of  the  wajs  of  man,  and  is  difficult  to  approach.  On  returning 
to  the  settlement,  we  found  some  excitement  prevailing,  for  two 
of  tiic  inhabitants  had  just  been  drowned  by  the  capsizing  of 
a  boat  near  the  landing-place.  With  southerly  winds,  heavy 
rollers  break  along  the  beach  ;  and  as  there  is  no  protection  in 
the  shape  of  a  breakwater  (for  boats),  communication  with  the 
shore  is  dangerous  while  these  winds  continue.  It  appeared 
that  a  party  of  five  were  returning  from  a  hulk  in  the  roadstead, 
where  an  auction  was  being  held,  and  on  nearing  the  shore 
the  boat  got  broadside  on  to  the  rollers,  and  capsized.  Two 
were  drowned.  The  other  three  narrowly  escaped  a  similar  fate, 
and  owed  their  preservation  to  the  gallant  conduct  of  two  of 
our  bluejackets,  who,  happening  to  be  on  shore  near  the  scene 
of  the  disaster,  plunged  boldly  in  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  and 
brought  the  survivors  to  land. 

On  the  following  day  two  of  us  rode  along  the  shore  to  the 
southward  of  the  town  for  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  when 
we  struck  into  the  woods,  following  a  cart  track  which  led  us  to 
a  sawmill  in  the  heart  of  the  forest,  belonging  to  Mr.  Dunsmuir, 
the  British  Vice-consul.  Here  we  shot  a  small  owl,  speci- 
mens of  the  Magellan  thrush,  and  a  diminutive  bird  of  a  general 
black  colour,  with  a  rusty-red  collar,  the  Centrites  niger.  The 
beach  was  in  places  covered  with  dense  clusters  of  mussels,  and 
strewh  with  the  dead  shells  of  Volutes,  Areas,  and  Patellas,  the 
tests  of  crabs,  and  the  calcareous  remains  of  a  small  Cidaris. 
We  were  greatly  struck  with  the  sagacity  of  our  little  horses — 
requiring  little  or  no  management,  going  for  the  most  part  at 
an  easy  canter,  and  climbing  over  logs,  trunks  of  fallen  trees,  and 
banks,  with  the  agility  of  goats.  On  our  dismounting,  and  leaving 
the  bridles  trailing  on  the  ground,  they  remained  quite  patiently, 
without  showing  the  least  inclination  to  make  off,  although  we 
several  times  discharged  our  guns  close  to  their  heads. 

We  left   Sandy   Toint  on   the  aflcrnoon   of  the   4th,  and   pro- 


38  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert:'' 

cneded  under  steam  to  Pcckctt  Harbour,  an  anchorage  about 
twenty-five  miles  to  the  north-east  of  the  colony.  Arriving  about 
four  p.m.,  all  of  us  who  could,  landed,  and  set  off  in  pursuit  of  game. 
Even  here,  so  little  to  the  eastward  of  Sandy  Point,  the  aspect  of 
the  country  was  completely  dilTerent.  The  land  was  entirely 
devoid  of  trees,  and  the  only  plants  of  any  size  were  tne  barberry 
and  balsam  bog,  the  latter  growing  as  lu.\uriantly  as  at  the 
Falklands.  Walking  was  laborious,  for  the  ground  was  every- 
where riddled  with  the  burrows  of  the  tucutuco,  a  curious  rodent 
{Cteiioinys),  which  the  Chilians  call  caroitru.  There  was  a  fresh 
breeze  blowing,  and  the  birds  were  consequently  very  wild,  and 
by  no  means  numerous.  We  obtained  specimens  of  the  crested 
duck  {Anas  cristata),  upland  goose  [Chlocphaga  Diagetlanicd),  grebe, 
plover,  soldier  starling,  snipe,  sandpiper,  and  Cciitrites  niger.  The 
tucutucos  here  evidently  differ  in  their  habits  from  those  described 
by  Mr.  Darwin,  for  they  come  out  of  their  burrows  occasionally  (I 
believe  at  dusk),  and  one  was  caught  by  Lieut.  Vcreker,  and 
given  to  me. 

The  next  day  we  were  again  under  way,  and  having  taken  on 
board  some  horses  belonging  to  Mr.  Dunsmuir,  the  British  Vice- 
consul  of  Sandy  Point,  proceeded  towards  Elizabeth  Island,  a  few 
miles  off.  This  island  has  recently  been  rented  from  the  Chilian 
Government  by  Mr.  Dunsmuir,  and  proves  of  value  for  stock 
farming.  Tucutucos  have  not  yet  succeeded  in  reaching  it,  a 
matter  of  no  small  importance  as  regards  the  value  of  the  land, 
for  their  mining  operations  are  almost  ruinous  to  the  pasturage. 
The  island  is  about  si.x  miles  long  and  four  miles  broad,  and 
consists  of  an  elevated  plateau  of  undulating  grass  land,  termi- 
nating at  its  margin  in  cliffs  three  hundred  feet  high,  which  front 
the  sea.  Mr.  Dunsmuir  has  stocked  it  with  four  hundred  sheep, 
who  are  left  usually  in  charge  of  a  shepherd  and  his  family  ;  and 
he  has  also,  for  commercial  purposes,  adopted  measures  for  the 
protection  of  the  upland  geese,  \\hich  breed  in  large  numbers  on 
the  island.      The  object  of  our  visit  was   to  bring  over  fur   him 


Elizabeth  Island.  39 

some  horses,  which  were  required  for  the  working  of  the  island. 
As  we  steamed  round  its  eastern  end,  myriads  of  terns  rose  in  a 
cloud  from  the  low  sandy  pits,  where  they  had  their  breeding  place. 

After  getting  out  the  horses,  and  letting  them  swim  on  shore, 
we  dropped  our  anchor,  and  soon  afterwards  many  of  us  landed 
to  explore.  It  was  the  breeding  time  of  the  upland  geese,  and 
the  birds  were  consequently  very  tame,  and  afforded  little  sport 
in  shooting.  Along  the  beach  below  the  cliffs  a  variety  of  birds 
were  to  be  seen,  including  oyster-catchers,  steamer-ducks,  and  a 
species  of  Cinclodes.  As  I  walked  by  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  a 
steamer-duck  would  occasionally  rush  out  from  its  retreat,  and 
make  for  the  water,  cackling  vigorously  as  it  waddled  over  the 
shingle.  As  these  birds  steamed  out  seaward,  they  seemed  un- 
doubtedly to  flap  their  wings  in  unison  ;  but  there  was  a  sort  of 
wabble  in  their  swimming  motion,  arising  probably  from  the 
alternate  paddling  of  the  feet.  On  the  heights  above,  I  shot 
several  militarj'  starlings,  and  otliers  of  our  party  obtained  some 
brown  ducks  {Anas  cristaid)  and  snipe. 

The  cliff  was  apparently  breaking  away  in  many  places, 
exposing  fresh  sections  of  its  face,  and  exliibiting  pebbles, 
rounded  stones,  and  rocks  imbedded  in  the  clayey  mass,  a 
feature  which  is  characteristic  of  this  part  of  the  coast  Lines 
of  stratification,  of  varying  degrees  of  fineness,  were  to  be  seen ;  and 
in  several  places,  at  about  fiftj'  feet  from  the  summit  of  the  cliff, 
streams  of  water  oozed  out  from  the  seams.  I  could  detect  no  trace 
of  a  fossil.  Along  the  beach  lay  many  dead  shells  of  the  genera 
Voluta,  Area,  Patella,  Mytilus,  and  Trophon.  During  this  walk 
I  noticed  about  six  different  species  of  butterflies  and  a  few 
beetles. 

The  dredge  had  been  laid  out  from  the  ship  on  anchoring,  so 
that  it  might  profit  by  the  swinging  of  the  ship  ;  and  when  we 
hauled  it  up  in  tlie  evening,  it  contained  a  quantity  of  dead 
barnacles  covered  with  ophiurids,  and  also  shells  of  the  genera 
Trochus    and    Trophon,   Amphipod    Crustaceans,   Annelids,  and 


40  Crime  of  the  ''Alerts 

some  red,  jcUj -like  Gcphyreans.  These  were  all  entangled  in  a 
mass  of  red  seaweed,  interlaced  with  stalks  of  the  Macrocystis. 

Early  next  morning  (January  7th)  we  steamed  back  to  Sandy 
Point.  As  we  approached  the  anchorage,  we  noticed  dense  clouds 
of  smoke  rising  from  the  woods  some  distance  inland,  and  it 
soon  transpired  that  the  forest  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Consul's 
sawmills  was  on  fire.  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  out  with  Dr. 
Kenton  to  the  scene,  and  \vc  found  the  troops  of  the  garrison 
employed  in  felling  trees,  so  as  to  make  a  sort  of  lane  through 
the  woods  to  leeward  of  the  fire,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  limit  its 
ravages.  Dr.  Fcnton  afterwards  came  on  board,  and  gave  us  an 
interesting  account  of  the  mutiny  of  1877,  in  which  he  and  his 
wife  narrowly  escaped  being  shot.  His  house,  like  most  others, 
was  burnt  down  on  that  occasion.  Si.xt}-  of  the  peaceable  inha- 
bitants were  shot  by  the  mutineers,  and  nine  of  the  latter  were 
subsequently  executed.  Those  of  the  population  who  escaped 
had  fled  to  the  woods,  and  there  fortified  themselves  against  an 
attack.  Eventually  the  mutiny  was  quelled  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Chilian  gunboat  AlagcUancs,  at  whose  approach  the  mutineers 
fled  away  into  the  pampas. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  we 
weighed  anchor  and  proceeded  to  the  westward.  We  had  scarcely 
l(.ft  Sandy  Point  a  few  miles  behind  us,  when  the  character  of 
the  scenery  underwent  a  marked  change.  The  straits  narrowed, 
its  shores  rose  in  lofty  hills,  whose  lightly  inclined  slopes  were 
clothed  with  forest  from  the  summits  to  the  water's  edge,  and 
we  e.xchanged  the  clear  blue  sky  of  Patagonia  for  an  atmosphere 
of  mists  and  rain  squalls.  As  we  passed  by  Port  Famine,  two 
Fuegian  canoes  pulled  off  to  us  from  the  southern  shores,  the 
natives  hailing  us  vociferously  (or  "  galleta  iabac"  (biscuit  and 
tobacco).  However,  we  could  not  spare  time  to  interview  them, 
and  they  turned  back  disappointed,  and  moreover  evidencing 
signs  of  indignation.  When  abreast  of  Borja  Bay,  we  experienced 
such  a  succession  of  heavy  squalls  from    the  westward,  that  we 


A  Lonely  Burial  Place.  41 

were  compelled  to  put  in  for  shelter,  and  accordingly  anchored. 
On  landing,  we  found  the  trees  placarded  in  various  places  with 
wooden  records  of  ships  that  had  called  there  ;  and  on  pushing 
our  way  through  the  bushes  adjoining  the  beach,  we  were  not 
a  little  surprised  at  stumbling  across  a  coffin,  which  from  its 
position  seemed  to  have  been  hurriedly  deposited  there  by  a 
passing  ship.  It  bore  an  inscription  stating  that  it  contained 
the  remains  of  some  person  who  had  belonged  to  the  Chilian 
man-of-war  Almirante  Cochrane.  Animal  life  was  at  a  dis- 
count ;  only  a  few  moths,  a  Cinclodes,  a  brace  of  duck,  and  a 
few  gulls  being  seen.  The  vegetation  was  lu.xuriant,  and  the 
Philesia,  berberry,  and  diddle-dee  plants  were  in  full  bloom. 
We  stopped  for  only  a  few  hours ;  for  on  the  wind  lulling  we 
again  proceeded  on  our  course.  Passing  through  the  "  Long 
Reach,"  the  scenery  became  of  a  most  imposing  character  ;  several 
straggling,  highly  inclined  glaciers  creeping  down  on  either  side 
through  the  deep  mountain  gorges,  their  dazzling  whiteness  con- 
trasting strikingly  with  the  richly  verdured  hillsides,  and  the 
lofty  snow-covered  mountain  summits  beyond  fading  away  imper- 
ceptibly into  a  hazy  sky.  Later  in  the  evening  we  anchored 
in  Playa  Parda  Cove,  a  beautiful  little  land-locked  basin,  and 
most  of  us  landed  at  once,  to  spend  the  last  few  remaining  hours 
of  daylight.  A  solitary  steamer-duck  was  seen,  but  for  the  rest 
animal  life  was  unrepresented.  As  at  Borja  Bay,  several  little 
billets  of  wood,  attached  conspicuously  to  trees  bordering  the 
shore,  recorded  the  visits  of  previous  explorers  to  these  out- 
landish regions. 

On  the  morning  of  the  lolh  we  left  Playa  Parda,  and  steamed 
northward  through  the  Sarmicnto  Channels.  In  the  afternoon, 
as  we  were  passing  by  Fortune  Bay,  we  sighted  and  exchanged 
signals  with  the  Chilian  man-of-war  Cliacabiico,  a  vessel  which 
was  now  employed  in  surveying  certain  portions  of  the  Strait.s. 
Our  halting-place  for  this  evening  was  at  Isthmus  Bay,  where 
we  anchored   about  six   p.m.      At  the    head  of  this   bay,  where  a 


42  Cruise  of  the  "A/ertr 

narrow  neck  of  lowland  separated  us  from  the  waters  of  Oracion 
Sound,  was  the  remains  of  a  Fuegian  encampment,  which,  to 
judge  from  the  appearance  of  the  shell  heaps,  could  not  have 
been  left  for  more  than  a  year  uninhabited.  Across  the 
isthmus  was  a  "  portage "  for  boats,  consisting  of  rudely-cut 
stakes  laid  on  the  ground  parallel  to  each  other,  and  a  few 
yards  apart,  like  railway  sleepers.  The  aspect  of  the  green 
forest  encircling  this  charming  little  bay  was  variegated  with 
a  luxuriant  display  of  really  beautiful  flowers,  among  which  were 
conspicuous  the  Philcsia  liixifolia.  Fuchsia  mageUanica,  Gatil- 
theria  antarctica,  Berberis  ilicifolia,  and  a  number  of  composites 
of  different  species.  A  kind  of  cedar,  the  Liboccdriis  tetragonus 
("  cipres  "  of  the  Chilotes),  was  here  also  very  abundant,  furnishing 
good  straight  poles  suitable  for  various  purposes.  Its  four-sided 
arrangement  of  leaves  at  once  attracts  attention. 

We  got  under  way  early  in  the  morning,  and  proceeded  up 
the  Sarmicnto  Channels,  passing  by  the  Chilian  ship  Chacabtico 
in  the  midst  of  a  rain  squall.  No  natives  were  to  be  seen.  The 
channel  here  narrowed,  and  the  scenery  of  the  opposing  shores 
became  of  a  grand  yet  rather  sombre  character,  the  round-topped 
granite  mountains  which  seemed  to  overhang  us,  with  their  streaky 
patches  of  forest  creeping  up  the  gullies,  being  enveloped  in  a 
hazy  mist,  and  presenting  a  sort  of  draggled  appearance,  as  if  rain 
had  been  falling  over  their  rocky  faces  for  ages. 

About  five  in  the  evening  we  entered  IMayne  Harbour,  a  few 
cormorants  and  steamer-ducks  sheering  off  with  much  splashing,  as 
we  slipped  between  the  islets  that  almost  block  up  the  entrance. 

So  we  continued  to  wend  our  way  through  these  desolate 
channels,  looking  into  nearly  every  anchorage  on  the  way,  and 
usually  anchoring  for  the  night,  until  the  1 4th  of  January,  when 
we  reached  "  Tom  Bay,"  which  was  to  be  our  base  of  operations 
for  the  ensuing  survey  of  the  Trinidad  Channel.  Some  hours 
after  we  had  anchored,  a  native  boat  suddenly  emerged  from  a 
narrow  channel  opening  into  the  bay,  and  paddled  towards  the 


Our  First  II fee  ting  with  the  Fuegia7is.  43 

ship,  displaying  a  green  branch  in  the  bows  of  the  boat,  while 
one  individual  standing  up  waved  a  small  white  cloth,  no  doubt 
intended  as  a  flag  of  truce.  Our  people  on  board  made  amicable 
demonstrations  in  response,  by  waving  handkerchiefs  and  so  forth, 
and  then  slowly  and  warily  the  natives  approached.  This  was 
our  first  experience  of  representatives  of  the  Channel  tribe  of 
Fuegians.  There  were  altogether  eight  of  them.  But  I  must  not 
omit  to  mention  the  dogs,  five  in  number,  as  the  latter  formed 
by  far  the  most  respectable  portion  of  the  community  ;  for  it 
would  indeed  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  diabolical  cast  of 
countenance  than  that  presented  by  these  savages.  Their  clothing 
consisted  of  a  squarish  scrap  of  sealskin  looped  round  the  neck, 
sometimes  hanging  over  the  back,  sometimes  resting  on  the 
shoulders,  but  apparently  worn  more  by  way  of  ornament  than 
for  any  protection  v.'hich  it  afforded  ;  and  a  very  narrow  waist- 
cloth,  which  simple  garment  was  sometimes  deemed  superfluous. 
An  elderly  lady  of  a  saturnine  cast  of  countenance  sat  on  a  wisp 
of  grass  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  and  manoeuvred  the  steering 
oar.  They  could  not  be  induced  to  come  on  board  the  ship, 
and  from  their  guarded  demeanour  would  seem  to  have  had 
rather  unfavourable  experiences  of  civilized  man.  After  bartering 
their  bits  of  seal  and  other  skins,  and  getting  some  biscuit, 
tobacco,  and  knives,  they  paddled  away,  and  established  them- 
selves on  an  islet  about  half  a  mile  from  the  ship,  where  we  saw 
that  the  skeleton  frameworks  of  some  old  huts  were  standing. 

On  the  following  day  a  small  party,  consisting  of  North  (the 
paymaster),  three  seamen,  and  myself,  pulled  over  to  the  native 
camp.  We  were  received  on  landing  by  four  men  with  bludgeons 
in  their  hands,  who  did  not  seem  at  all  glad  to  see  us,  and  who 
seemed  apprehensive  of  our  approaching  the  hut,  where  the 
women  had  been  jealously  shut  up.  However,  by  a  few  presents 
of  tobacco  and  biscuit,  we  established  tolerably  amicable  relations, 
and  were  permitted  to  examine  the  canoe,  which  lay  hauled 
half  out  of  the  water.     It  was  composed  of  five  planks,  of  which 


44  Cruise  of  the  '^ Alert." 

one,  about  twenty  feet  long  and  two  and  a  half  feet  wide,  formed 
the  bottom,  while  the  other  four,  each  one  and  a  half  foot  in 
width,  formed  the  sides.  The  bottom  plank  was  turned  up  at 
the  ends,  so  as  to  form  a  flat  bow  and  stern  of  nearly  similar 
shape  ;  and  to  this  plank,  as  well  as  to  each  other,  the  side 
pieces  were  secured  by  a  lacing  passed  through  rude  square- 
shaped  holes  about  an  inch  in  area,  which  were  made  in  an 
even  row  close  to  the  edges  of  the  planks.  The  lacing  used 
for  this  purpose  is  the  tough  stem  of  a  bignoniaceous  creeper 
(the  Campsiditm  cliileiise),  which  is  commonly  seen  twining  round 
the  tall  forest  trees,  forming  festoons  from  branch  to  branch, 
and  again  extending  from  the  horizontal  branches  vertically 
downwards  like  the  cordage  of  a  ship.  Caulking  was  effected 
by  stuffing  the  seams  with  moss  and  strips  of  the  winter's  bark 
(bark  of  the  Driuiys  winteri),  over  \\hich  the  lacing  was  carried  ; 
and  the  square-shaped  holes  were  plugged  with  some  pulpy 
vegetable  matter,  of  which  moss  seemed  to  be  the  chief  con- 
stituent. The  oars  were  made  of  young  stems  of  the  Libocedrus 
ietragonus,  to  one  end  of  which  elliptical  pieces  of  wood  were 
lashed  by  way  of  blades.  These  oars  were  used  in  the  ordinary 
way,  the  loom  resting  on  crescentic-shaped  crutches,  fashioned 
out  of  a  single  piece  of  wood,  and  lashed  to  the  gunwale.  The 
everlasting  Fuegian  fire,  from  which  Ticrra  del  Fuego  derives 
its  name,  burned  in  the  middle  of  the  boat,  resting  on  a  bed 
of  clay ;  and  the  half-decomposed  head  of  a  seal,  which  either 
the  natives  or  the  dogs  had  recently  been  gnawing,  completed 
the  furniture  of  this  crazy  vessel.  The  hut  in  u  hich  the  women 
were  shut  up  was  a  haycock-shaped  arrangement,  composed  of  a 
skeleton  framework  of  boughs,  over  which  were  thrown  several 
old  skins  of  the  r.ea-lion  {Otaria  jubata).  The  chief  of  this  party, 
who  was,  by  the  waj',  the  tallest  Fuegian  ever  seen  by  us,  we 
found  by  measurement  to  be  five  feet  four  inches  in  height.  One 
hut  accoinmodated  the  entire  party,  consisting,  as  I  have  said, 
of  four  men,  four  women,  and  five  dogs. 


Climate  of  Patagonian   Channels.  4  5 

The  greater  part  of  the  subsequent  four  months  was  spent 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Trinidnd  Channel,  which  it  was  our  special 
duty  to  survey  ;  and  as  our  movements  during  this  period  were 
most  erratic,  and  we  frequently  paid  five  or  six  different  visits  to 
the  same  parts,  I  shall  for  a  time  abandon  all  chronological 
order,  and  speak  of  events  according  to  the  places  in  which  they 
occurred. 

But  in  the  first  place,  in  order  to  render  my  narrative  more 
intelligible,  I  shall  here  give  a  brief  general  description  of  this 
region,  referring  to  its  climate,  natural  features,  and  inhabitants. 

The  weather  is  peculiar,  for  the  rainfall  is  excessive,  and  as  a 
rule  there  is  not  more  than  one  moderately  dry  day  out  of  the 
seven. 

The  peaks  and  ridges  of  the  broken-up  range  of  mountains, 
of  which  the  i'^lands  and  coast  are  formed,  intercept  the  moisture- 
laden  clouds  which  are  being  continually  wafted  from  seaward  by 
the  prevailing  westerly  winds,  frequent  and  long-continued  down- 
pours being  the  result.  From  observations  taken  with  the  rain 
gauge,  we  estimate  the  average  daily  rain^ill  to  be  0*4 1  inch, 
and  that  of  the  wettest  month  of  which  wc  have  had  experience, 
viz.,  the  month  of  April,  o'5  22  inch.  The  annual  rainfall,  esti- 
mated from  the  mean  of  eight  months'  observations,  we  find  to 
be  I49'65  inches.  The  mean  annual  temperature,  estimated  simi- 
larly from  observations  extending  over  the  months  of  January, 
February,  March,  April,  May,  (nine  days  of)  October,  November, 
and  December,  we  found  to  be  49"2,  the  extremes  of  temperature 
being  36°  and  60°.  When  wc  reflect  that  the  annual  rainfall 
in  London  is  about  23'S  inches,  while  the  yearly  average  of  tem- 
perature is  469  Fahr.,  we  can  realize  the  extent  to  which  rainy 
weather  prevails  in  this  land,  and  the  comparative  coldness  of  its 
nevertheless  equable  climate.  We  were  told  by  the  master  of  a 
sealing  schooner  that  the  climate  of  Western  Fuegia  varied  but  little 
throughout  the  )'ear,  and  that  in  his  opinion  the  finest  weather 
was   to    be    found    in    mid-winter ;    and,   indeed,  on   entering  the 


46  Cruise  of  tht  ''Alert:'' 

channels  in  the  month  of  October — that  is,  in  the  caily  spring  — 
we  ourselves  found  the  appearance  of  the  country-  but  little 
different  from  our  recollections  of  the  previous  midsummer. 
There  was,  perhaps,  more  snow  on  the  hill-tops,  but  there  was 
none  at  all  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  hills,  and  the  evergreen 
vegetation  seemed  almost  as  luxuriant  as  during  midsummer. 

As  might  be  expected  from  the  large  rainfall  and  comparatively 
equable  temperature,  this  climate  is  very  favourable  to  the  growth 
of  cryptogamous   plants ;   ferns,    mosses,   and    Hepaticae  abound, 
clothing  the  stems  of  dead  and  living  trees,  and  occupying  every 
shady  nook  and  crevice.     Among  the  ferns  most  commonly  seen 
were  several  beautiful  species  of  the  genus  Hymenophyllum.     Of 
flowering  plants  there  \\ere  also  some  of  great  beauty,  the  most 
attractive  of  which  were  the  Philesia  buixfolia,  the  Desfontainea 
Hookeri,  the  Berberis  ilicifolia,  the  B.  empetrifolia,  and  the  Embo- 
thrium  coccineum.     The    former    is    a    sort    of   under-shrub,    of 
creeping   habit,  and  is  most   commonly  seen    twining   round  the 
stem  of  the  evergreen  and   antarctic  beeches,  to  a  height  of  si.x 
or  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  its  lovely,  rose-coloured,  bell-shaped 
flowers  showing  to  great  advantage  against  the  delicate  background 
of  ferns  and  mosses,  which,  growing  from  the  bark  of  the  tree, 
display  the    flowers,    but    almost    conceal    the    branches    of   the 
twining  Philesia.     There  is  another  beautiful  plant,  of  the  same 
natural  order,  met  with  in   Southern  Chili,  which  the  people  take 
great  pride  in,  showing  to  stringers  as  the  glory  of  their  gardens. 
It   is   called   the  "  Copigue"  {Lapageria   rosed).     The  only   trees 
which  attain  to  any  reasonable  size  as  such  are  the  evergreen  and 
antarctic  beeches  {Fagns  aiitantica  and  /".  bctuloidcs)^  the  winter's 
bark    {Driinys   'wiirUri),  and    the    cj-pres    [Liboccdrus  tctragonus). 
The    bark    of    the    Driinys  wi/itcri    was    formerly  employed    in 
medicine,    but    has    latterly   fallen   into    disuse,    partly   from  the 
difficulty   of  obtaining   the   genuine  article    in    Europe.      It   has 
tonic  and  stimulant  properties.     The  infusion  of  the  dried  bark 
is  so  hot  and  peppery   as  to  burn  the  tongue   and  throat ;   but. 


Trees — Rock  Formation.  47 

strangely  enough,  the  spirit  tincture  extracts  the  tonic  bitter  with 
but  very  little  of  the  peppery  principle. 

The  summits  of  the  low  hills,  which  are  usually  bare  of  trees 
or  brushwood,  are  covered  with  a  sort  of  swamp  formed  of 
astelias,  gaimardeas,  and  calthas,  whose  interlacing  roots  form 
a  more  or  less  compact  sod,  which,  as  one  walks  on  it,  shakes 
from  the  fluctuation  of  the  bog  water  beneath. 

The  rock  of  the  district  is  a  cross-grained  syenite,  intersected 
with  dykes  of  greenstone,  of  very  variable  thickness.  This  is  the 
prevalent  rock  ;  but  about  Port  Rosario,  on  the  north  side  of 
"  IVIadre  dc  Dios"  island,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  limestone.  The 
latter  is  of  a  pale-blue  colour,  in  some  cases  assuming  the  character 
of  marble  ;  and  when  much  exposed  to  the  weather,  presents  a 
curious  honey-cornbcd  appearance,  due  to  the  solvent  action  of 
the  rain.  This  rock  is  unfossiliferous.  The  disintegration  of  the 
syenite  from  the  usual  atmospheric  agencies  is  rapid  enough  ; 
but  the  resulting  detritus  does  not  contribute  to  form  a  good 
clay. 

If  an  artificial  section  be  made  of  the  soilcap,  or  if  advantage 
be  taken  of  a  landslip  to  examine  it  carefully,  it  will  be  seen  to 
be  composed  of  a  dense  network  of  interlacing  roots,  containing 
in  its  interstices  a  small  quantity  of  black  mould,  the  latter 
increasing  in  proportion  as  the  basement  rock  is  reached.  This 
spongy  mass  of  tangled  vegetation,  ever  saturated  with  moisture, 
is  the  soil  on  which  the  trees  clothing  the  hillsides  take  root. 
On  the  little  plateaus  about  the  hill-tops,  however,  it  only  con- 
tains the  roots  of  the  marsh  plants  above  mentioned,  and  those 
of  an  odd  stunted  bush.  On  first  coming  to  this  region,  I  was 
much  struck  on  seeing  that  the  forest  approaches  so  close  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  that  the  banks  overhang  so  much  that  fre- 
quently the  branches  of  the  trees  dip  into  the  salt  water ;  and 
in  some  places  a  black  snag  projecting  above  the  surface  of  the 
inshore  water  tells  the  fate  of  a  tree  that  had  perished  from 
immersion.      These    phenomena,    among    others   to   be    hereafter 


•I 8  Criiise  of  the  ''Alert." 

alluded  to,  are,  I  tliink,  to  be  attributed  to  a  slow  but  steady 
sliding  motion  of  the  soilcap  over  its  rocky  foundation  on  the 
sloping  hillsides,  a  motion  which  is  in  many  respects  analogous  to 
the  flow  of  a  glacier. 

Of  the  natives  inhabiting  the  Patagonian  channels  between  the 
Gulf  of  Penas  and  Smyth's  channels,  very  little  is  known  ;  and  I 
am  the  more  inclined  to  attempt  a  description  of  their  physical 
characteristics  and  habits  of  life,  because  of  all  the  savage  tribes 
of  whom  I  have  had  experience — including  the  Australian  abo- 
rigines, who  are  generally  credited  with  being  of  the  lowest 
order — I  believe  that  the  people  whom  I  am  about  to  describe 
bear  away  the  palm  as  the  most  primitive  among  all  the  varieties 
of  the  human  species.  They  are  certainly  closely  related  to  the 
Fuegians  who  live  south  of  the  main  Straits  of  Magellan,  from 
whom,  however,  they  differ  sufficiently  to  show  a  tribal  distinction. 
Fitzroy,  in  enumerating  six  tribes  of  Fuegians,  denominates  those 
of  whom  I  speak  as  "  the  Channel  or  Chonos  tribe."  They  lead 
a  wandering  life,  constantly  shifting  in  their  canoes  from  place  to 
place,  and  travelling  in  families  of  about  twelve  individuals,  all 
of  whom  stow  in  the  same  canoe,  and  sleep  in  the  same  hut. 
We  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain  the  precise  relationship 
existing  between  the  different  members  of  these  families  ;  but  a 
party  of  twelve  would  probably  consist  of  three  men,  five  women, 
and  four  children. 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  year  they  live  almost  entirely  on 
mussels  and  limpets,  this  simple  fare  being  only  varied  occasion- 
ally by  the  capture  of  a  seal,  a  small  otter,  or  of  an  equally  small 
coypu.  That  they  get  this  kind  of  fresh  meat  but  rarely  is 
evident  from  our  inspection  of  their  midden  heaps,  hillocks  of 
refuse  in  the  vicinity  of  the  huts,  consisting  mainly  of  shells.  I 
must  not  omit  to  mention,  however,  that  bones  of  the  steamer- 
duck  and  cormorant  are  also  found  about  the  huts,  but  not  in 
any  quantity.  During  the  months  of  December  and  January,  the 
Magellan   seals  "haul  up"  to  breed   on    the  rocks   of  the  outer 


Descriptio7i  of  Channel  Fuegians.  49 

coasts,  and  during  this  season  there  is  a  great  gathering  of  natives 
about  the  "  rookeries,"  as  the  scalers  call  them,  so  that  for  a 
short  portion  of  the  year  these  unfortunate  wretches  can  luxuriate 
upon  a  diet  of  fresh  meat. 

They  are  of  low  stature,  the  men  averaging  5  ft.  i  in.  in  height, 
while  the  women  are  still  shorter.  Of  eight  men  whom  I  measured 
carefully,  the  extremes  were  4  ft.  10  in.  and  5  ft.  3  in.;  so  that 
there  is  a  strong  contrast  between  them  and  their  neighbours 
in  the  same  latitude,  the  Patagonians,  whose  average  stature  (I 
speak  of  the  men  only)  is  5  ft.  10  in.  Their  complexion  is 
of  an  ochrey  copper  colour  ;  the  eyes  are  dark,  and  placed  close 
together  ;  the  upper  c\clid  curving  downwards  abruptly  as  it 
approaches  the  nasal  side,  or  inner  canthus,  in  such  a  way  as 
to  give  an  appearance  of  obliquity  in  the  eye,  which  reminds 
one  of  that  feature  in  the  face  of  a  Japanese.  The  sclcrotics, 
or  so-called  "  white"  of  the  eye,  have  a  yellow  tinge,  and  in 
the  adults  the  conjunctiva  is  injected  or  bloodshot,  probably  from 
their  habit  of  sitting  over  a  smoky  wood  fire.  The  upper  lip  is 
thin  and  curved;  and  when  a  grimace  is  made,  it  tightly  embraces 
the  teeth,  so  as  to  communicate,  a  peculiarly  wicked  expression  to 
the  countenance.  The  maxilla;  are  broad,  and  the  teeth  arc  of 
glistening  whiteness.  In  the  female  the  front  teeth  present  an 
even  regular  line  ;  but  in  the  male  adult  there  is  usually  a  front 
tooth  missing,  as  if  knocked  out  designedly.  The  hair  is  long, 
black,  and  coarse,  and  is  peculiar  in  growing  sometimes  from  the 
temples,  as  well  as  from  the  scalp,  a  circumstance  from  which  the 
forehead  acquires  a  narrow  pyramidal  appearance.  There  are  no 
whiskers,  but  on  the  lips  and  chin  a  ^<i\w  scattered  hairs  are  seen. 
The  upper  extremities  and  trunk  arc  well  formed,  but  the  legs 
are  very  poorly  developed,  so  much  so  as  to  seem  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  rest  of  the  body.  The  skin  overlying  the  kneecaps 
is  particularly  loose,  baggy,  and  wrinkled  when  the  native  stands 
erect,  a  circumstance  which,  in  the  case  of  the  southern  Fucgian, 
is   very  justly    attributed  {i.'ide  Voyage  of  Adventure  and  Beagle, 

4 


50  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

p.  176)  to  the  practice  of  frequently  sitting  on   the  heels,  with  the 
legs  flexed  to  a  maximum. 

Some  of  the  emotions  arc  expressed  by  verj'  decided  contortions 
of  the  features  and  limbs.  Delight,  when  intense,  is  shown  by  a 
display  of  the  closed  teeth,  accompanied  by  a  clucking  sound,  and 
a  curious  up  and  down  bobbing  motion  of  the  body.  ICagerness 
is  expressed  by  a  clucking  sound  and  a  frothing  of  the  lips. 
Anger  is  characterised  by  a  tightening  of  the  upper  lip,  a  pro- 
trusion of  the  lower  jaw  or  mandible,  and  a  slight  display  of  the 
upper  incisors. 

The  men  are  almost  entirely  naked,  sometimes  wearing  a 
square  piece  of  sealskin  suspended  from  the  neck,  and  hanging 
over  either  shoulder.  This  seems  to  be  intended  as  a  sort  of 
weather  screen  ;  but,  strangely  enough,  it  is  one  of  the  first  things 
parted  with  when  a  chance  of  bartering  occurs.  Although  .so 
careless  about  protecting  their  bodies  against  the  rigour  of  the 
weather,  it  was  nevertheless  evident  that  they  were  keenly  sensible 
to  the  cold  ;  for  they  were  frequently  to  be  seen  with  their  teeth 
chattering,  and  trembling  from  head  to  foot,  as  the  rain,  wind, 
and  spray  swept  over  their  unprotected  skins.  The  women 
generally  have  a  large  skin  mantle,  wiiich  they  wear  with  the  hair 
turned  outwards.  Those  with  infants  carry  the  child  in  a  pouch 
between  the  shoulders  ;  but  those  not  so  burdened  readily  part 
with  their  only  covering  for  a  plug  of  tobacco.  That  these 
people  should  attach  any  value  to  tobacco  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand ;  for  not  only  are  they  unprovided  with  native  pipes  in 
which  to  smoke  it,  but,  as  far  as  we  could  judge,  they  had  never 
enjoyed  sufficient  opportunities  of  doing  so  to  render  the  process 
anything  but  highly  unpleasant,  although  its  iinticipatioit  undoubt- 
edly afforded  them  great  pleasure.  In  fact,  one  or  two  whiffs  of 
smoke  were  sufficient  to  put  a  man  into  the  nauseated  and  giddy 
condition  familiar  to  every  schoolboy  when  he  makes  his  first 
trial  of  tobacco. 

Although  the  dress  of  the  women  is,  as  I  have  mentioned,  far 


Clothing — Hunting  Appliances.  51 

from  elaborate,  they  otherwise  evinced  the  usual  love  of  their  sex 
for  articles  intended  to  be  ornamental.  They  commonly  wore 
round  their  throats  necklaces  composed  of  margarita  shells, 
porpoise  teeth,  or  fragments  of  calcareous  worm  tubes,  strung 
together.  Their  faces,  as  well  as  those  of  the  men,  were  some- 
times daubed  with  black  charcoal,  and  sometimes  with  a  paste 
composed  of  white  wood-ashes,  but  with  what  precise  object  we 
did  not  ascertain. 

The  affection  of  these  savages  for  their  children  does  not  seem 
to  be  of  a  ver)'  stable  character;  for,  by  all  accounts,  they  are  willing 
to  part  with  them  for  a  trifling  consideration.  A  Fuegian  boy, 
christened  Tom  Picton,  whom  we  took  on  board  in  the  Trinidad 
Channel,  quitted  his  relations  without  any  manifestation  of  reluc- 
tance ;  and  they,  on  their  part,  were  readily  conciliated  by  the 
gift  of  a  few  necklaces  and  some  biscuit.  In  B)'ron's  narrative 
of  the  loss  of  the  Wager,  there  is  a  most  interesting  account  of 
his  wanderings  among  the  natives  of  the  Gulf  of  Peiias.  He 
mentions  that,  on  one  occasion,  a  savage  was  so  exasperated  with 
his  son,  a  child  of  three  years,  who  had  accidentally  dropped  into 
the  water  a  basket  containing  some  sea-eggs  (Eeldni),  that  he 
"  caught  the  boy  up  in  his  arms,  and  dashed  him  with  the  utmost 
violence  against  the  stones,"  the  child  dj'ing  soon  afterwards. 

Their  hunting  appliances  are  few  and  simple  ;  the  canoe  is  a 
rude  structure,  but  answers  its  purpose  well  enough.  It  is  con- 
structed of  five  planks,  of  which  one,  about  20  ft.  by  2\  in  width, 
forms  the  bottom,  and  the  other  four,  each  \\  ft.  wide,  form  the 
sides.  The  bottom  plank  is  turned  up  at  the  ends,  so  as  to  form 
a  flat  bow  and  stern  of  nearly  similar  shape  ;  and  to  this,  as  well 
as  to  each  other,  the  side  planks  are  laced  by  the  long  flexible 
stem  of  a  creeping  plant,  which  is  passed  through  rude  squarish 
holes,  about  one  inch  in  area,  which  are  made  in  an  even  row 
close  to  the  edges  of  the  planks.  The  material  used  for  the 
lacing  appeared  to  be  the  stem  of  the  Campsidinvi  chilense,  a 
creeper  which   grows   to  a  great   length,  is  very  abundant,  and  is 


52  Ciitise  of  the  ''Ale it.'"' 

remarkable  for  its  exceeding  toughness.  Caulking  is  effected  by 
stuffing  the  seams  with  bark,  over  which  a  lacing  is  carried,  and 
the  squarish  holes  arc  finally  plugged  w'ith  some  vegetable  pulpy 
matter,  of  which  moss  is  the  chief  constituent.  Two  oars,  with 
very  large  broad  blades,  arc  used  for  propelling  the  boat,  and  not 
paddles,  as  in  the  case  of  the  southern  Fucgians.  A  young 
woman,  seated  in  the  stern  sheets,  steers  very  dexterously  with  a 
short  paddle.  Such  rude  boats  leak,  of  course,  a  good  deal,  and 
hence  require  constant  baling  out.  This  office  is  performed  by 
the  old  woman  of  the  party,  who,  crouching  amidships,  bales  out 
the  water  with  a  bark  bucket. 

Spears  of  two  kinds  are  used,  one  for  fishing,  the  other  for 
sealing.  The  one  for  scaling,  which  is  rather  a  harpoon  than  a 
spear,  has  an  arrow-shaped  bone  head,  which  is  movable,  and 
is  attached  by  a  slack  line  of  hide  to  the  spear  shaft.  The  use  of 
the  loose  line  is  probably  to  facilitate  the  capture  of  the  seal,  into 
which  the  movable  arrow-head  has  been  driven  by  ilie  impetus 
conveyed  through  the  detachable  shaft.  A  harpoon  similarly 
constructed  is  used  by  the  Eskimo  hunters  for  a  like  purpose. 
The  fish  spear  is  a  formidable  weapon,  having  a  long  bone  head 
securely  fixed  to  the  shaft,  and  with  many  deep  serrations  along 
one  side.  The  shafts  of  both  are  about  eight  feet  long,  and  are 
made  of  the  young  stems  of  a  coniferous  tree,  the  Liboccdrus 
L  tragonus. 

Every  party  that  we  met  with  was  provided  with  an  iron  axe 
of  some  kind.  The  axes  are  usually  made  of  bits  of  scrap  iron 
which  have  been  picked  up  from  wrecks,  or  obtained  by  barter 
from  passing  vessels.  Sometimes,  though  rarely,  an  axe  of  civi- 
lization pattern  is  seen.  In  other  cases  the  piece  of  iron,  having 
been  ground  into  a  rude  triangular  shape,  is  fitted  into  a  wooden 
handle,  as  some  of  the  old  stone  celts  are  supposed  to  have  been  ; 
that  is  to  say,  the  small  end  of  the  axehcad  is  jammctl  into  a 
hole  made  near  the  end  of  a  stout  piece  of  stick.  I  may  here 
mention  that,  in  spite  of  a  most  diligent  search,  I  have  once,  but 


Homes  of  the   Clianiicl  Fuegians.  53  , 

only  once,  succeeded  in  finding  a  STONE  axehead.  It  was  of  very 
primitive  sha[)e — being  only  in  part  ground — and  was  found  lyin-^ 
among  the  shells  of  a  very  old  abandoned  kitchcn-inidden. 

For  holding  drinking  water  they  use  large  cylindrical  buckets, 
which  are  made  from  the  bark  of  the  Drimys  ivititeri;  the  single 
scroll-shaped  piece  which  forms  the  cylinder  and  the  disc-shaped 
bottom  being  sewn  together  with  rushes.  From  this  same  kind 
of  rush  plant,  which  they  use  so  frequently  for  making  temporary 
hitches,  they  make  three-plaited  ropes  for  mooring  the  canoes, 
and  also  baskets  to  hold  shell  fish.  The  kind  of  plait  used  in 
fashioning  their  baskets  is  a  simple  network,  which  must,  however, 
be  tedious  to  construct,  owing  to  the  necessity  for  frecjuently 
splicing  the  rushes. 

Their  huts  somewhat  resemble  small  haycocks  in  general  shape, 
but  are  rather  oblong,  the  floor  (which  is  never  excavated,  as  in 
the  case  of  some  of  the  southern  Fuegians)  usually  measuring  ten 
by  twelve  feet  ;  the  height  in  the  centre  is  six  feet,  so  that  one 
of  us  could  always  stand  upright  when  in  the  middle  of  the  hut. 
A  skeleton  framework  is  made  of  boughs,  whose  thicker  ends  arc 
stuck  in  the  ground,  while  the  terminal  twigs  are  made  to  inter- 
lace, and  are  moreover  secured  to  each  other  by  rush  lashings. 
The  required  amount  of  shelter  is  obtained  by  placing  leafy 
boughs  and  dried  sealskins  over  the  framework  of  the  hut.  A 
fire  is  kept  burning  in  the  centre  ;  and  when  the  boat  is  about 
to  be  used,  a  few  burning  sticks  are  transferred  to  it,  and  kept 
alight  on  a  clay  flooring  amidships. 

I  have  neV'Cr  seen  their  appliances  for  striking  a  light,  but 
I  have  no  doubt  they  use  iron  pyrites,  with  dried  moss  or  down 
for  tinder,  as  do  the  southern  Fuegians,  from  whom  I  have  ob- 
tained these  appliances.  These  materials  for  obtaining  fire  are 
very  judiciously  guarded,  and  are  the  only  articles  among  the 
properties  of  a  canoe  which  are  not  submitted  for  barter.  The 
"  Pecheray "  Fuegians  keep  their  stock  of  tinder  in  water-tight 
pouches,  made  of  the  dried  intestine  of  the  seal,  (j!) 


54  Crime  of  the  ''Alerts 

Neither  stone  slings,  bows  and  arrows,  nor  bolas,  are  used  by 
the  Channel  Fuegians,  so  that  altogether,  with  respect  to  hunting 
appliances,  they  are  in  a  more  primitive  state  than  any  of  the 
southern  tribes. 

The  remains  of  the  deceased,  so  far  as  wc  have  known,  are 
deposited  in  caves  in  out-of-the-way  localities.  During  the 
voyage  of  Sarmicnto,  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  i6th  century, 
a  cave  containing  human  remains  was  found  in  a  small  island 
called  the  "  Roca  Partida,"  or  cleft  rock  ;  and  subsequently,  when 
the  shipwrecked  crew  of  the  \Va^ci\  one  of  Commodore  Anson's 
ships,  were  wandering  about  the  Gulf  of  Peiias,  Mr.  Wilson,  the 
surgeon,  discovered  near  the  seashore  a  large  cave  which  con- 
tained the  skeletons  of  several  human  beings  {i>Ue  Byron's 
narrative  of  the  loss  of  the  Wager,  Burney's  Voyages).  During 
the  surveying  cruise  of  H.M.S.  i^assmi,  in  1866-9,  a  diligent 
search  was  made  for  such  burial  places,  but  without  success  ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  no  signs  were  observed  of  any  other 
method  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  either  by  fire,  as  in  the  case 
of  .some  of  the  southern  tribes,  or  by  covering  the  bodies  with 
branches  of  trees,  as  described  by  Fitzroy.  However,  during 
our  late  survey  of  the  Trinidad  Channel,  we  found  a  small  cave 
containing  portions  of  two  skeletons  in  a  limestone  islet,  near 
Port  Rosario,  on  the  north  side  of  Mad  re  de  Dios  Island  ;  anr! 
this  would  seem  to  have  been  used  as  a  burial-place,  at  some 
very  remote  period.  The  remains  have  been  deposited  in  the 
British  Museum. 

It  has  been  stated  by  the  late  Admiral  Fitzro}-,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  Mr.  Low,  a  sealing  captain,  that  during  times  of  great 
.scarcity  of  food,  these  savages  do  not  scruple  to  resort  to  canni- 
balism, and  that  for  this  purpose  tl  ey  select  as  victims  the  old 
women  of  the  party,  killing  them  by  .squeezing  their  throats, 
while  holding  their  heads  over  the  smoke  of  a  green  wood  fire. 
Mr.  Low's  evidence  on  this  point  is  so  circumstantial,  being 
derived  from  a  native  interpreter  who  served  on   board  his  ship 


Treachery  of  Savages— Dialects.  ^5 

for  fourteen  months,  that  it  can  hardly  be  doubted.  On  this 
subject  I  can  only  add  that  we  noticed  a  singularly  small  pro- 
portion of  old  people,  whether  male  or  female,  among  the  parties 
of  natives  with  whom  we  met.  This  circumstance  may  support 
Mr.  Low's  opinion,  or  it  may  be  the  natural  consequence  of  the 
short  span,  of  life  which  is  allotted  to  these  wretched  people. 

Regarding  the  treachery  of  these  savages,  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  Their  faces  alone  indicate  it,  but  unfortunately  further 
evidence  is  not  wanting.  We  recently  met  with  a  small  sealing 
schooner,  the  Annita,  of  Sandy  Point,  the  master  of  which — 
a  Frenchman,  named  Lamire — gave  us  a  detailed  account  of  an 
attack  made  upon  his  vessel  about  two  years  ago,  when  he  was 
"sealing"  at  the  north  end  of  Picton  Channel.  He  lay  at  anchor 
one  night  in  fancied  security,  when  he  was  surprised  by  a  large 
party  of  natives  who  came  alongside  in  seven  canoes.  A  dreadful 
struggle  ensued,  in  which  his  crew  defended  themselves  with  their 
guns  against  the  axes,  spears,  sticks,  and  stones,  of  their  savage 
assailants.  The  natives  were  eventually  driven  off,  but  not  before 
five  of  the  sealers  had  lost  their  lives.  The  sealers  are  now  well 
aware  of  the  anxiety  of  the  natives  to  gain  possession  of  their 
vessels,  and  consequently  put  no  trust  in  their  overtures  of 
friendship.  A  white  man  is  feared  only  so  long  as  his  party 
is  known  to  be  the  strongest. 

Fitzroy  has  described  six  tribes  of  Fuegians  who  speak  differ- 
ent dialects,  and  also  differ  somewhat  in  their  habits.  These 
are  (i)  the  Vacanas,  or  inhabitants  of  the  north  portion  of  King 
Charles's  South  Land  ;  (2)  the  Tekeenicas,  who  live  in  south- 
eastern Fuegia ;  (3)  the  Alikhoolips,  who  inhabit  the  South- 
Western  Islands  ;  (4)  the  Pecherays,  a  small  tribe  of  savages 
who  hover  about  the  middle  and  western  part  of  the  Straits  of 
Magellan;  (5)  the  lluemuls,  so  called  from  the  Chilian  name 
of  a  deer  which  has  been  found  about  Skyring  Water  and 
Obstruction  Sound,  the  head-quarters  of  this  tribe  ;  and  (6y  tho 
Fucc^ians   who   inhabit   the  shores   and    islands    ol    western    I'ata- 


56  Ouise  of  the  "Alcrir 

gonia,  between  the  parallels  of  47"  and  52°,  and  whom  Fitzroy 
denominates  the  Chonos  or  Channel  Fuegians.  In  Fitzroy's 
account  of  the  Fuegians,  he  naturally  selected  as  his  type  the 
people  with  whom  he  was  best  acquainted,  viz.,  the  Tekcenicas, 
who  inhabit  the  shores  of  the  Beagle  Channel.  These  people 
build  conical  wigwams,  which  arc  made  of  large  poles  leaning 
to  from  a  circular  base,  with  their  upper  ends  meeting  in  a 
point.  Their  canoes  arc  built  of  bark,  and  are  small  and  skiff- 
shaped.  They  also  use  bows  and  arrows,  and  stone  slings,  and 
in  this  respect  are  considerably  in  advance  of  the  Channel 
Fuegians. 

In  their  methods  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  the  Fucgian  tribes 
differ  somewhat  strangely.  Fitzroy  tells  us  that  among  the 
Tekeenicas,  Alikhoolips,  and  I'echerays,  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
arc  carried  a  long  way  into  the  interior  of  the  forest,  where  they 
are  placed  upon  broken  timber,  and  then  covered  up  with 
branches.  On  this  subject  some  information  has  recently  been 
obtained  from  the  missionaries,  who  have  now  for  some  years 
maintained  a  settlement  at  a  place  called  Ushuwia,  in  the 
Beagle  Channel.  We  heard,  on  the  authority  of  these  gentlemen, 
that  a  form  of  cremation  is  now  commonly  practised  among  the 
Tekeenicas,  and  that  charred  human  bones  may  often  be  found 
among  the  embers  of  the  funeral  pyre.  The  Fuegians  of  the 
Western  Channels,  as  I  have  mentioned  already,  deposit  their 
dead  in  caves. 

To  continue  with  Tom  Bay.  The  month  of  January  is  here 
the  breeding  season  with  most  of  the  water  birds.  About  the 
middle  of  the  month  the  steamer-ducks  {Tachycrcs  cincrciis)  and 
ihc  kelp  geese  {Bcnticla  antatxticd)  were  paddling  about  with  their 
)oung  ones ;  and  the  oyster-catchers  {Hccinatopus  Icncopus,  and  atcr), 
with  their  young  broods,  occupied  the  small  low  rocky  islets, 
where  they  made  themselves  conspicuous  by  their  shrill  piping 
cry.  We  remarked  that  the  kelp  geese,  which,  as  a  rule,  ne\er 
wet  their  feet,  except  with  the  damp  seaweed  of  the  fore-shore, 


Our  Bird   Visitors  at   Tom  Bay.  57 

take  to  the  water  as  soon   as  the  young  are  hatched,  being  pro- 
bably induced  to  do  so  in  order  the  better  to  protect  their  goslings 
from  the  hawks  and  rats.     The  male  and  female  adult  birds  differ 
remarkably  in  plumage  ;    that  of  the   female  being  almost   black, 
with   a    few   white   dots   and   dashes,  whereas   the   feathers   of  the 
male   are   perfectly   white.      Tiie  sombre   colour  of  the   female  is 
probably  intended  as  a  protection  during   the  hatching  time,  when 
she   remains    almost   continuously  on    the  eggs,  while  the  gander 
does  sentry  in  some  conspicuous  position  adjacent.     Whenever  at 
this    time    of   the  year    a    solitary  gander   is   seen   standing  on  a 
projecting  point   or  headland,  it   may  safely  be   inferred   that  his 
faithful    consort   is    on    her    nest   somewhere   within    sixty  yards. 
Even  under  these  circumstances  it  is  by  no  means  an  easy  matter 
to  find  the  nest  ;   for  the  black   plumage  of  the  female  assimilates 
with  the  dark  wind-blown   seaweed   and   rank  grass   in  which   her 
nest  is  made,  and   she  lies  so  close  that  she  will   not  stir  until 
almost  walked  on.      While  the  birds   are   immature  {i.e.,  less  than 
one  year  old)  the   sexes   are  scarcely  distinguishable,  the  plumage 
of  both  male  and  female  being  an   almost  equal   mixture  of  white 
and  black  colours. 

The  ashy-headed  brent  goose  {Chloephaga  poliocephald),  remark- 
able for  the  splendid  chestnut  colour  of  its  breast,  is  the  only 
other  goose  met  with  in  these  western  channels.  The  common 
Magellan  and  Falkland  Islands  goose  {C.  Magcllanica)  docs  not, 
as  a   rule,  extend   its  range  to  the  damp  western  regions. 

About  the  islets  adjacent  to  the  Tom  Bay  anchorage  were 
great  numbers  of  abandoned  huts,  and  at  some  the  size  of  the 
shell  mounds  and  the  compactness  of  the  bottom  layers  indicated 
considerable  antiquity.  These  mounds  are  principally  composed 
of  mussel  and  limpet  shells,  the  latter  predominating  ;  and 
among  the  interstices  were  great  numbers  of  insects  and  worms. 
There  was  one  very  old  grass-covered  mound  near  our  anchorage, 
of  which  we  made  a  thorough  examination  by  digging  cross- 
section  trenches.      Besides  the   usual   shells,  there  were   a   few  seal 


58  Cruise  of  llu    'Alert r 

bones  and  sterna  of  birds,  and  at  a  depth  of  four  feet  from  the 
surface  we  found  a  partly  disintegrated  bone  spear-head,  which 
was  difierent  in  shape  from  any  which  we  saw  among  the  natives 
cither  before  or  subsequently.  Instead  of  being  rounded, 'it  was 
flattened  from  side  to  side,  like  a  very  large  arrow-head.  In  most 
of  the  other  shell  heaps  which  we  examined,  bones  of  the  nutria 
{Myopotamns  coypii)  and  of  the  otter  {Liitra  felind)  were  observed. 

To  the  westward  of  our  anchorage  (/>.,  in  the  large  island  of 
Madre  de  Dios)  was  a  long  narrow  inlet,  partly  overhung  with 
trees,  which  communicated  by  a  shallow  bar  with  a  brackish 
lagoon  of  about  thirty  acres  in  extent.  At  low  water  there  was 
only  about  three  feet  of  water  on  the  bar,  and  we  could  then  see 
that  the  bottom  was  covered  with  huge  white  sessile  barnacles 
(the  "picos"  of  the  Chilians),  growing  closely  together.  During  the 
ebb  and  flood  tides  the  current  ran  fiercely  over  this  bar,  so  as 
to  render  it  an  exceedingly  difficult  matter  to  pull  through  the 
channel  when  the  tide  was  adverse.  This  lagoon  was  a  fa\ourite 
haunt  of  the  Magellan  sea  otter  {Lutra  felina),  which  is  abundant 
in  all  these  waters,  but  is  very  dilTicult  to  kill  without  the  aid  of 
dogs.  Its  "runs"  are  generally  strewn  with  the  shells  of  a  large 
spiny  crab  (the  Lithodes  antarctica),  which  appears  to  form  its 
principal  food.  I  have  seen  an  otter  rise  to  the  surface  with  one 
of  these  hideous  crabs  in  its  mouth,  as  unpalatable  a  morsel,  one 
would  think — for  it  is  armed  all  over  with  strong  spines — as  a 
"  knuckleduster."  In  the  Alert,  the  great  feat  of  sportsmanship 
was  to  shoot  and  bag  an  otter  ;  for  if  the  animal  be  not  struck 
in  the  head,  and  killed  outright  at  the  first  shot,  it  is  almost 
certain  to  make  a  long  dive,  crawl  up  the  beach  in  the  shade  of 
the  overhanging  bushes,  and  escape. 

When  exploring  in  a  small  boat  the  winding  shores  of  this  lagoon, 
we  one  day  came  upon  a  little  sequestered  cove,  where  there  was 
a  luxuriant  growth  of  Dcsfontainca  bushes,  and  on  landing  on  the 
shingly  beach  we  saw,  by  the  way  in  which  the  larger  stones  had 
been  moved   aside,  that   the   place   had   been   used   by  the   natives 


A  Native  ''Portage.''  59 

for  hauling  up  their  canoes.  On  walking  through  the  long  rank 
grass,  which  encroached  on  the  beach,  we  tripped  over  some  logs 
which  seemed  to  have  been  arranged  artificially,  and  we  then 
discovered  that  we  were  at  the  extremity  of  a  "  portage,"  intended 
for  conveying  boats  ovciland.  On  tracing  it  up,  we  found  a  sort 
of  causeway  leading  into  the  forest ;  and  after  following  it  for 
about  three  hundred  yards,  we  ascertained  that  we  had  crossed  a 
narrow  isthmus,  of  whose  existence  we  were  previously  unaware, 
and  had  reached  the  shore  of  an  arm  of  the  sea  (probably  Delgado 
Bay),  which  communicates  with  the  Trinidad  Channel  not  many 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  Port  Henry.  It  was  evident  that  by 
means  of  this  "portage"  the  natives  were  able  to  proceed  from 
Concepcion  Channel,  via  Tom  Bay,  towards  the  outer  coasts, 
without  undertaking  the  much  longer  and  more  hazardous  journej- 
through  the  main  channels  round  Point  Brazo.  The  logs  forming 
the  "portage"  were  partly  imbedded  in  the  ground,  and  were 
arranged  parallel  to  each  other,  like  the  sleepers  of  a  railway,  and 
at  a  distance  of  about  two  feet  apart.  There  was,  however,  no 
appearance  of  the  natives  having  recently  visited  the  place.  We 
had  reason  to  believe  that  these  "  portages"  were  of  frequent 
occurrence,  and  were  largely  used  by  the  natives,  and  that  it  was 
owing  to  the  facilities  thus  afforded  them  for  crossing  isthmuses 
and  the  necks  of  promontories  that  they  were  enabled  to  surprise 
sailing  vessels  at  anchor,  approaching  them  unobserved  from  the 
landlocked  side  of  bays  and  inlets  at  a  time  when  the  attention  of 
the  sailors  on  "look-out"  was  naturally  only  directed  towards  the 
entrance  of  the  harbour  which  had  previously  seemed  to  them  to 
be  untenanted.  The  "  portages"  are  so  concealed  by  a  lu.xuriant 
growth  of  grass  and  brushwood  that  they  readily  escape  observation. 
The  brackish  lagoons,  which  are  fed  continuously  by  fresh- 
water streams,  and  receive  an  influ.x  of  sea  water  while  the  flood 
tide  is  making,  are  a  peculiar  feature  of  this  Patagonian  archi- 
pelago, and  we  usually  found  that  the  outlets  were  excellent  places 
for  catching  fish.      Our  fishing  parties  were  in  the  habit  of  placing 


6o  Cruise  of  the  '' Alert r 

a  "  trammel"  net  across  the  outlet  while  the  tide  was  ebbing,  and 
in  this  way  entrapped  great  quantities  of  mullet  and  mackerel  ; 
sometimes  upwards  of  eighty,  ranging  in  weight  from  two  to 
eleven  pounds  per  fisli,  being  taken  at  one  haul. 

I  collected  some  green  flocculent  matter  from  the  surface  of 
one  of  these  lagoons,  and  found  it  to  consist  almost  entirely  of 
diatoms. 

One  fine  day  in  April  we  noticed  a  great  concourse  of  gulls 
and  shags,  attracted  by  a  shoal  of  fish,  in  the  pursuit  of  which 
they  ventured  unusually  close  to  the  ship.  This  gave  us  an 
opportunity  of  observing  that  the  common  brown  gull  of  the 
channels,  the  female  of  L.  Doinbiicaiins,  behaves  towards  the  male 
bird  in  many  respects  like  a  skua.  No  sooner  would  one  of  the 
"  black-backed "  (male)  birds  capture  a  fish,  and  rise  from  the 
surface,  than  he  would  be  attacked  by  one  of  the  brown  birds, 
and  chased  vigorously  about  the  harbour  ;  the  predatory  bird  not 
desisting  from  the  pursuit  until  the  coveted  prize  had  been  dropped 
by  its  rightful  owner.  This  I  noticed  on  more  occasions  than  one. 
As  a  rule,  however,  the  female  was  content  to  fish  for  herself. 
Several  Dominican  gulls  in  immature  plumage  were  seen  amongst 
the  crowd,  and  were  easily  distinguished  from  the  adults  by  the 
mottled  brown  plumage,  and  by  the  colour  of  the  mandibles  being 
green  instead  of  orange,  as  in  the  males,  and  black  as  in  the 
females.  Now  and  then  the  whole  flock  of  gulls  and  shags  would 
rise  on  the  wing,  as  they  lost  the  run  of  the  shoal  of  fish. 
Tlicy  would  then  be  directed  to  the  new  position  of  the  shoal  by 
the  success  of  some  straggling  bird,  when  a  general  rush  would 
be  made  to  the  new  hunting  ground.  It  was  most  amusing  to 
witness  the  widely  dilTcrcnt  fishing  powers  of  the  shags  and  gulls, 
and  the  consequently  unequal  competition  in  the  struggle  for  food. 
The  shag  in  flight,  on  observing  a  fish  beneath  him,  at  once 
checks  himself  by  presenting  the  concave  side  of  his  wings  to  the 
direction  in  which  he  has  been  moving,  and  then,  flapping  legs 
foremost  into  tlic  water,  turns  and  dives  ;  whereas  the  gull  has 


Habits  of  Gulls  and  S/ngs — ''  Sleamer-diuks.''        6i 

first  to  settle  liimsclf  carefully  as  he  alights  on  the  water,  and  has 
then  to  tru.it  to  the  chance  of  some  unsopliisticatcd  fish  coming 
within  reach  of  his  bill.  It  was  impossible  to  avoid  noticing  the 
mortified  appearance  of  the  poor  gulls  as  they  looked  eagcrlj' 
about,  but  yet  caught  only  an  odd  fish,  whilst  their  comrades,  the 
shags,   were  enjoying  abundant   sport. 

It  is  odd  that  the  silly  gull  manages  at  all  to  survive  in  the 
struggle  for  exis.tence.  Here  is  another  instance  of  his  incapacitj'. 
A  piece  of  meat,  weighing  a  few  ounces,  drifted  astern  of  the 
ship  one  day,  and  for  its  possession  a  struggle  took  place  between 
a  dominican  gull  and  a  brown  hawk.  The  gull  had  picked  up 
the  meat,  and  was  fl>ing  away  with  it  in  his  bill,  when  he  was 
pursued  by  the  hawk — a  much  smaller  bird — who  made  him 
drop  it.  Again  the  gull  picked  it  up,  and  for  a  second  time 
was  compelled  by  the  hawk  to  relinquish  it.  The  latter  now 
swooped  down  upon  the  tempting  morsel,  as  it  floated  on  the 
water,  and  seizing  it  with  his  claws,  flew  off  rapidly  into  an 
adjoining  thicket,  to  the  edge  of  which  lie  was  followed  by  the 
disappointed  gull. 

Steamer- ducks  {Tachycrcs  cincrcHs)  are  very  abundant  at  Tom 
Bay,  as  indeed  they  are  throughout  all  the  western  channels. 
Their  English  name,  "  steamer-duck,"  has  reference  to  their  habit 
of  moving  rapidly  along  the  surface  of  the  water  by  means  of  a 
paddling  motion  of  the  wings,  and  leaving  a  wake  of  foam  which 
resembles,  on  a  small  scale,  that  of  a  paddle-steamer.  A  great 
deal  has  been  written  about  these  remarkable  birds,  and  I  shall 
not  therefore  attempt  any  general  description,  which  at  the  best 
would  only  involve  useless  repetition.  There  are  a  few  remarks 
about  them,  however,  which  I  should  like  to  make.  Although 
aware  of  the  careful  investigations  made  by  Dr.  Cunningham  in 
I S66-9,  and  his  conclusion  as  to  their  being  but  one  species,  I 
have  yet  some  reason  to  believe  that  the  fliers  and  the  non- 
flying  birds  which  I  have  seen  belong  to  two  distinct  species, 
and   my  impression   is — though   I   am    by  .no    means    sure — that 


C2  C)ui  e  of  I  he  '' Alert  r 

the  volant  species  frequents  tlie  fresh  waters  in  the  interior  of 
Patagonia,  and  in  the  western  channels  is  only  represented  by 
an  odd  straggler.  Mr.  Co.v,  of  Talcahuano,  who  has  travelled 
in  Araucania  and  central  Patagonia,  mentions  in  his  narrative, 
that  in  the  fresh-water  lakes  of  the  latter  district  there  are  two 
different  species  of  steamer-ducks,  one  of  which  possesses  the 
power  of  flight.  Immature  specimens,  although  differing  in  the 
colour  of  the  bill,  and  somewhat  in  plumage,  from  the  adult 
birds,  need  not  be  confounded  with  a  second  species.  The  largest 
steamer-duck  which  I  have  come  across  weighed  only  14  lbs., 
and  although  text  books  assign  a  much  greater  weight  as  the 
extreme  limit,  I  think  I  am  right  in  saj-ing  that  few  heavier 
birds  are  met  with  either  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan  or  in  the 
western  channels.  The  female  forms  a  low,  oval-shaped  nest  of 
twigs,  lined  with  a  thick  coating  of  down,  and  deposits  therein 
si.\  large  cream-coloured  eggs,  3f  in.  long,  by  2  J  in  width.  The 
nest  is  usually  placed  on  the  ground,  at  the  foot  of  an  old  tree, 
some  few  yards  from  the  beach,  but  in  a  place  where  the  bush  is 
almost  impenetrable  to  a  human  being. 

Land  shells  must  be  exceedingly  scarce.  I  met  with  repre- 
sentatives of  only  four  species,  of  which  one,  a  specimen  of  Helix, 
I  found  on  the  frond  of  a  HymenophylluDi  at  Tom  Bay.  Two 
others  of  the  same  genus  were  taken  from  the  rotten  trunk  of 
a  tree  in  the  same  locality.  At  Port  Henry,  in  the  Trinidad 
Channel,  and  other  parts  in  the  neighbourhood,  I  collected  several 
specimens  of  a  species  of  Siicsinca,  which  clings  to  dead  leaves 
and  decayed  pieces  of  driftwood  l}ing  on  the  shore  just  above 
liigh-water  mark.  These  four  species  of  shells  have  since  been 
described  by  Mr.  Edgar  Smith,  of  the  British  Museum,  as  new 
to  science.  In  a  fresh-water  lake,  where  I  made  some  casts 
of  a  light  dredge,  I  obtained  from  the  bottom  of  .«tinking  mud 
several  examples  of  a  large  i'uio  shell,  and  some  small  shells 
of  the  genus  Cliilinia.  I  afterwards  found  species  of  Unto  in 
a  stream  issuing  from  the   lake.      North  of  the  English  Narrows, 


FnJi-ivatcy  Fish.  63 

many   pond   snails  of  the  yenus  Chllinia  were  also  found   abun- 
dantly in  the  stream  beds. 

I  have  found  only  two  species  of  fresh-water  fish,  Haplochilon 
zebra,  and  a  small  Galaxias ;  and  they  inhabit  most  of  the  upland 
lakes  which  are  of  any  considerable  extent.  The  former  is  a 
smooth-skinned  fish,  with  the  general  shape  and  fin  arrangement 
of  a  grayling,  but  with  a  dark  scaleless  skin.  It  averages  lialf 
a  pound  in  weight,  ranging  up  to  three-quarters  ;  and  although 
it  rose  like  a  trout,  we  could  not  succeed  in  making  it  take 
the  artificial  fly,  but  caught  it  readily  with  worm-bait.  These 
fish  were  also  met  with  in  mountain  lakes  far  removed  from 
the  sea,  whither  their  ova  were  probably,  in  the  first  instance, 
conveyed  by  cormorants.  On  one  occasion  Sir  George  Nares 
caught  a  specimen  of  this  fish  in  a  brackish  lagoon,  which  com- 
municated with  the  sea  at  high  tide,  so  that  it  may  have  been 
derived  from  a  marine  progenitor  which  possessed  the  power  of 
adapting  itself  to  a  fresh-water  existence. 

In  the  course  of  our  survey  of  Concepcion  Strait,  we  stopped 
for  six  days,  in  the  month  of  March,  at  Portland  Bay,  an  anchor- 
age on  the  east  side  of  the  strait,  and  nearly  opposite  to  Tom 
Bay.  On  the  forenoon  of  our  third  day,  a  party  of  natives 
pulled  in  from  the  westward,  with  their  canoe  well- provisioned 
with  shell-fish,  as  if  they  were  about  making  a  long  voyage. 
There  were  three  men,  four  women,  three  children,  and  four 
dogs.  They  were  provided  with  a  good  iron  axe,  bone-pointed 
spears,  a  boat-rope  made  of  plaited  rushes,  and  other  rude 
implements.  It  was  evident  that  this  party  had  previously  met 
with  some  friendly  vessel,  for  they  readily  came  on  board,  and 
poked  about  the  ship.  Two  of  us  went  on  a  visit  to  their 
camp  on  the  following  day,  but  were  received  very  ungraciously 
by  a  villainous-looking  old  hag  armed  with  a  club,  who  depre- 
cated any  attempt  at  landing  on  our  part.  We  could  only 
examine  the  canoe,  which  we  fouiul  to  be  twcntv-twu  feet  long, 
four  feet  in  beam   amidships,  and    in   other  respects  of  the  usual 


64  Cruise  0/  the  "A/crtr 

construction.  On  the  next  day  we  pulled  over  again,  but  only 
to  find  the  hut  deserted,  and  the  party  gone.  We  inferred, 
from  various  circumstances  connected  with  their  disappearance, 
that  they  must  have  penetrated  up  the  Bay  to  the  eastward, 
wJiere  there  are  unexplored  channels  which  are  supposed  to 
extend  towards  the  base  of  the  Cordillera. 

On  the  next  day  (March  24),  a  strong  westerly  breeze,  witli 
occasional  rain-squalls,  induced  most  of  us  to  remain  on  board, 
and  we  were  not  a  little   surprised  when,  about   10  a.m.,  a  boat 
under  sail  was  reported   standing  across  the  Strait  towards  our 
anchorage.     On   nearer  approach   it  turned   out  to  be  a  native 
canoe,  with  a  large  sealskin  hoisted   in   the  forepart  of  the  boat, 
so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  square  sail.     As  the  natives  came  a4ong- 
side  to  beg  for  biscuit  and  tobacco,  we  found  that  the  wretched - 
looking  boat  contained   three  men,  five  women,  eleven   children 
(mostly   very  young),  and    five    dogs.      Thcj-  had    shipped  a  good 
deal  of  water  on  the  passage,  as  might  be  expected,  and  all  the 
wretched  creatures  looked  as  wet  as  fishes  ;    indeed,  to  say  that 
they  were  wet  to  the  skin  would  be  simply  a  truism  in  the  case 
of  the  Fuegians.     W'e  had   not  previously  noticed  so  prolific  a 
family,  the   proportion    of  children   being  usually  one   for    each 
woman.      I  use  the  word  "  family,"  because  each  of  these  canoe 
parties  appears  to  constitute  a  sort  of  complicated  family.     One 
young  mother  did   not   appear  to  be    more   than    sixteen   years 
of  age.     I  now  inclined  to  the  opinion,  which  subsequent  expe- 
rience gave  me  no  reason  to  alter,  that  the  Channel  Fuegians  are 
a  migratory  tribe,  passing  the  summer  months  about  the  outer 
islands,  where  at  that  time  of  the  year  they  maj'  get  seals,  and 
the  eggs  and  young  of  .sea-birds,  and   in   the  autumn   migrating 
up  some   of  the  fiords   of  the   mainland,  when   the  deer,  driven 
down  the  hills  by  the  winter  snows,  would  be  within  their  reach. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  deer  (probably  the  Ccrvns  c/tileiisis)  have 
been  seen  from  time  to  time  on   this  coast.     A  few  j-ears   ago 
the  officers  of  one   of  the  German    steamers   of  the   "  Kosmos " 


Native  Canoes  under  Sail. 


65 


line,  stopping  at  Puerto  Bueno  about  mid-winter,  captured  three 
or  four  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  anchorage.  We  our- 
selves never  met  with  any,  although  we  saw  doubtful  indications 
of  their  presence ;  but  further  south  we  obtained  portions  ol 
a  deer  from  a  native  canoe.  I  was  led  to  form  the  above- 
mentioned  idea  from  comparing  the  great  number  of  deserted 
wigwams  which  we  encountered  in  our  wanderings  about  these 
channels,  with  the  small  number  of  natives  actually  seen.  The 
huts  alluded  to,  moreover,  bore  indications  of  having  been  in 
use  not  many  months  previously,  when  they  were  probably 
inhabited  temporarily  by  parties  of  natives  on  their  way  to 
the  outer  coasts.  Fitzroy  would  seem  to  have  entertained  the 
same  belief  with  reference  to  tribes  about  Smyth's  Channel, 
from  the  fact  that  a  party  of  men  from  his  ship,  when  survey- 
ing Obstruction  Sound  in  the  summer-time,  discovered  a  large 
deserted  encampment  containing  many  huts  and  canoes,  and 
showing  signs  of  its  being  the  site  of  a  great  periodical  gathering 
of  the  clans. 


FUEGIANS  OFFERING   THEIR  CHILDREN    FOR   BA  RTER   (A   74). 


I 


CHAPTER    III. 

EXPLOIT  A  TIOXS  AV  THE  TRIXIDAD   CIIAXXEL. 

N  prosecuting  the  survey  of  the  Trinidad  Channel,  we  anchored, 
for  short  periods  each  time,  at  a  great  many  ports  on  its 
northern  and  southern  shores  ;  and  in  crossing  and  re-crossing  the 
channel  we  ran  lines  of  soundings  which  enabled  us  to  ascertain 
roughly  the  general  conformation  of  its  bed.  Across  the  seaward 
entrance  of  the  channel,  i.e.,  from  Cape  Gamboa  on  the  north  to 
Port  Henry  on  the  south,  the  soundings  gave  a  mean  depth  of 
thirty  fathoms,  showing  the  existence  of  a  sort  of  bar,  while  one 
mile  inside  of  this  the  depth  increased  to  two  and  three  hundred 
fathoms.  This  was  just  as  we  expected  ;  the  bar  across  the 
entrance  representing  the  terminal  moraine  of  the  huge  glacier 
which  originally  gouged  out  the  channel,  and  whose  denuding 
action  is  abundantly  recorded  in  the  scorings,  planings,  and  stria- 
tions  so  palpable  on  all  the  hard  rocks  of  these  inhospitable  shores. 

At  Port  Henry,  on  the  southern  side  of  the  entrance  to  the 
channel,  we  anchored  several  times.  The  scenery  here  is  very 
grand.  A  clay-slate  rock  enters  largely  into  the  formation  of 
the  hills,  its  highly  inclined  strata  forming  jagged  peaks  and 
ridges  of  great  height  ;  while  the  low-lying  rock  about  the  coast 
is  a  friable  sjenite  traversed  with  dikes  of  greenstone.  Imme- 
diately to  the  south  of  our  anchorage  was  a  lofty  ridge  of 
clay-slate  hills,  terminating  above  in  a  multitude  of  vertical 
columns  of  rock,  which  from  our  position  on  board  reminded 
us  of  a  cluster  of  organ   pipes,  and    suggested  the   name  which 


Fuegians  at  Port  Henry.  67 

now  appears  on  the  chart,  of  the  "  Organ-pipe  Range."  The 
aspect  of  the  vegetation  is  also  different  from  that  of  other 
ports  in  these  waters,  owing  to  the  abundance  of  a  veronica 
( V.  decussatd),  which  forms  large  glossy-green  bushes,  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  snow-white  flowers,  and  so  varies  the  other- 
wise monotonously  green  appearance  of  the  beech  forest. 

Only  one  party  of  natives  was  here  seen.  They  at  first 
approached  us  very  stealthily,  paddling  between  the  small  islands 
off  the  eastern  entrance  of  the  harbour,  and  after  the  usual 
interchange  of  signals  (waving  of  green  boughs  and  caps),  they 
came  alongside.  The  boat  was  similar  in  construction  and  size 
to  those  already  examined  at  Tom  Bay  and  elsewhere ;  but  we 
were  now  greatly  struck  at  perceiving  what  a  load  it  could 
accommodate  ;  for  there  were  in  it  sixteen  natives  and  six  dogs, 
besides  provisions,  weapons,  and  camp  furniture.  The  party 
consisted  of  three  men,  five  women,  and  eight  children  ;  and 
although  they  pulled  only  three  oars  (the  women  never  taking 
part  in  this  work),  yet  they  managed  to  get  along  at  a  fair 
pace.  On  their  arrival  they  were  partially  clad  in  seal  skins  ; 
but  in  their  eagerness  to  barter  with  our  seamen,  for  knives, 
tobacco,  and  such  treasures,  they  soon  divested  themselves  of 
all  artificial  garb,  and  appeared  in  a  state  of  nature.  It  was 
noticed  that  the  males,  who  conducted  the  barter,  compelled 
the  women  to  give  up  their  scanty  covering.  In  the  way  of 
provisions,  the  boat  contained  a  supply  of  large  trumpet  shells 
{Concliolepas)  in  rush  baskets,  and  the  drinking  water  was  carried 
in  little  bark  buckets.  They  encamped  near  us  for  the  night, 
but  disappeared  unaccountably  the  next  day. 

On  our  exploring  the  islets  just  mentioned,  we  found  a  large 
deserted  encampment,  in  which  we  counted  the  remains  of  nine 
native  huts.  The  refuse-heaps  contained  a  good  many  seal  and 
whale  bones,  besides  echinoderms,  limpet  and  trumpet  shells, 
the  latter  shell  here  taking  the  place  of  the  mussel.  The 
trumpet  shell    {Concltolepas)   is  found    about   the   entrance   of  the 


68  Cruise  of  the  " Alert r 

Trinidad  Channel,  inhabiting  rocky  places  immediately  below 
low  water  mark  on  the  weather  (i.e,  the  west)  side  of  islets 
which  are  exposed  to  the  heavy  wash  of  the  outer  ocean. 
I  have  not  seen  the  shell  south  of  this  latitude.  The  brown 
duck  (Anas  cristata)  was  here  tolerably  abundant,  and  with  the 
ashy-headed  Brent  goose,  and  the  two  species  of  oj-ster-catcher, 
were  in  great  request  with  our  sportsmen,  being  the  only  edible 
birds  worth  mentioning  in  the  western  channels. 

From  Port  Henry  we  shifted  our  base  of  operations  to  Wolsey 
Sound,  the  next  inlet  to  the  eastward.  Here  we  anchored  in 
an  apparently  well  sheltered  cove,  surrounded  by  lofty  hills,  but 
which  we  soon  found  to  our  cost  to  be  a  sort  of  aerial  maelstrom. 
A  strong  westerly  gale  was  blowing  over  the  hilltops,  as  we 
could  see  by  the  fast-flying  clouds  ;  while  below  at  the  anchorage 
we  experienced  a  succession  of  fierce  squalls  (williwaws)  from 
various  quarters,  with  intervals  of  complete  calm  ;  so  that  the 
ship  kept  swinging  to  and  fro,  and  circling  round  her  anchors 
in  a  most  erratic  manner.  Eventually  one  of  the  cables  parted  ; 
but  with  the  other,  aided  by  steam,  we  managed  to  ride  out 
the  gale,  and  to  thoroughly  satisfy  ourselves  that  Wolsey  Sound 
was  not  one  of  the  anchorages  to  be  recommended  to  passing 
vessels.  From  the  translation  given  in  "  Burney's  Voyages," 
(vol.  ii.,  p.  lo),  of  the  journal  of  Pedro  Sarmiento  de  Gamboa, 
who  discovered  the  Trinidad  Channel  in  the  year  1580,  it 
would  appear  that  this  is  the  same  anchorage  which  his  sailors 
named  "  Cache  Diablo  "  (devil's  box-on-the-ear),  from  the  boister- 
ous nature  of  the  reception  which  they  experienced. 

On  the  east  side  of  Wolsey  Sound  the  rock  of  the  mountain 
masses  is  for  the  most  part  a  hard  grey  unfossiliferous  limestone, 
irregularly  stratified,  but  sometimes  showing  a  dip  of  10°  or  15° 
to  the  westward.  The  most  striking  peculiarity  of  this  rock 
consists  in  its  solubility  under  the  influence  of  both  fresh  and 
salt  water,  and  it  is  this  property  that  so  often  causes  it  to 
present  a  jagged  honey-combed  appearance.     I  noticed  that  in 


Native  Burial-place.  69 

many  places  fresh  water  streams,  running  over  bare  patches  of 
this  rock,  had  eaten  away  narrow  gutter  channels,  and  that  in 
other  places  where  a  broad  sheet  of  water  flowed  slowly — as 
from  a  turf  bank — over  a  long  gently-sloping  table  of  rock, 
an  incrustation  of  hard  calcareous  matter  had  been  deposited, 
presenting  a  sort  of  "  ripple-marked  "  appearance,  and  reminding 
one  of  the  effect  produced  when  a  film  of  slowly-moving  water 
is  submitted  to  the  influence  of  intense  cold.  When  viewed 
from  a  distance,  the  limestone  hills  presented  a  whitish  bleached 
appearance,  which  contrasted  strangely  with  the  sombre  hues 
of  the  other  greenstone  and  syenite  hills.  Of  this  description 
was  "  Silvertop,"  a  lofty  and  conspicuous  mountain  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Trinidad  Channel,  which  was  frequently  used  by  our 
surveyors  as  a  landmark. 

The  next  port  to  the  eastward  is  Rosario  Bay.  It  was  named 
by  Sarmiento  "  Puerto  de  Nuestra  Senora  Del  Rosario."  The 
rock  formation  here  is  limestone,  and  of  the  kind  above  men- 
tioned, but  the  effects  of  frequent  rain  in  washing  away  the 
more  soluble  parts  of  the  rock  were  not  only  manifested  by 
the  honeycombed  appearance  of  exposed  surfaces,  but  also  by 
the  prevalence  of  caves  of  most  irregular  shape.  Soon  after 
we  had  anchored,  Sub-lieutenant  Bercsford  and  I,  who  had 
gone  away  in  the  skiff,  were  paddling  around  an  islet  with 
lofty  and  precipitous  sides,  when  we  noticed  in  the  face  of  a 
bare  rocky  cliff  a  suspicious-looking  dark  opening,  partly  blocked 
up  with  stones,  and  situated  about  thirty  feet  above  the  sea 
level.  We  ran  the  boat  alongside  the  rocks,  and  Beresford 
kept  her  from  bumping  while  I  climbed  up  the  cliff  to  recon- 
noitre. On  clearing  away  a  heap  of  stones  and  rubbish,  I  laid 
bare  a  sort  of  niche  in  the  rock,  in  which  were  portions  of  a 
human  skeleton,  the  long  bones  lying  together  in  a  compact 
bundle,  as  if  they  had  been  so  placed  there  when  in  the  dried 
state.  Not  many  yards  from  this  crevice  we  soon  discovered 
a   small    cave    in   the    rock,   and    partly   imbedded    in    the    soil 


70  Cniise  of  the  '' Alert r 

which  formed  its  floor  were  a  human  jaw-bone  and  fragments 
of  smaller  bones.  On  excavating  the  floor  of  the  cave  we 
found  it  to  consist  of  a  stiff  pasty  greyish-white  marlclay, 
abounding  in  small  shells,  amongst  which  were  species  of  the 
genera  Patella,  Fissurclla,  Chiton,  and  Calyptma.  On  reaching 
a  depth  of  about  one  foot,  we  came  upon  a  nearly  complete 
human  skull  of  immature  age,  an  otter  skull  with  bones  of 
the  same,  and  the  tooth  of  an  Echinus.  The  human  bones 
obtained  were  part  of  the  skeletons  of  two  individuals,  one  of 
whom  must  have  been  young,  for  the  epithyses  of  the  long 
bones  were  aot  quite  cemented  to  the  shafts.  I  noticed  that 
the  skull  presented  a  completely  ossified  frontal  suture,  although, 
from  the  nature  of  the  teeth  and  alveoli,  the  person  to  whom 
it  belonged  could  not  have  lived  for  more  than  twelve  years 
or  thereabouts.  A  tibia  found  in  the  first  depot  bore  marks 
of  having  been  chopped  by  some  sharp  cutting  instrument. 
From  the  fact  of  these  bones  being  found  interbcdded  with 
marine  deposits,  coupled  with  what  we  Icnow  of  these  islands 
having  been  elevated  within  recent  times — I  here  refer  to  the 
evidence  afforded  by  raised  beaches  and  old  highwater  marks 
in  the  faces  of  cliffs — there  is  reason  to  believe  that  these 
bones  were  deposited  in  the  cave  at  a  time  when  it  was  under 
water,  that  they  thus  became  surrounded  by  and  imbedded  in 
an  ordinary  marine  shallow  water  deposit,  and  that  eventually,  on 
the  island  being  elevated  so  as  to  raise  the  cave  to  its  present 
position — thirty  feet  above  sea  level — the  surface  deposit  was 
reinforced  by  the  percolation  of  lime-charged  water  from  the 
rock  above,  thus  resulting  in  the  formation  of  the  marlclay 
surface-layer  above  mentioned. 

We  made  different  attempts  at  dredging,  but  as  the  bottom 
was  everywhere  very  rocky  and  the  dredge  in  consequence  con- 
tinually getting  foul,  we  were  not  successful  in  obtaining  many 
objects  of  interest.  However,  among  them  there  were  specimens 
of  a  hydroid  stony  coral   representing  two  species  of  the  genus 


Dredging  in  (he   Trinidad  Chan7iel.  71 

Labiopora — one  of  which  Mr.  Stuart  Ridley  of  the  British  Museum 
has  ascertained  to  be  a  species  new  to  science — and  a  fine  orange- 
coloured  Astrophyton  of  a  new  species,  recently  described  by  Mr. 
F.  J.  Bell  as  A.  Lyinaiii. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Trinidad  Channel  we  stopped  for  a 
time  at  an  anchorage  near  Cape  Gamboa,  which  forms  the  north 
headland  of  the  entrance.  At  Cape  Gamboa  the  rock  is  a  clay- 
slate  showing  distinct  stratification,  containing  concretions  of  a 
whitish  sandstone,  and  dipping  to  the  N.  E.  at  an  angle  of  about  45°. 
To  the  eastward  of  Cape  Gamboa  is  a  limestone  similar  to  that 
of  the  south  shore.  We  did  some  dredging  here  on  a  smooth 
sandy  bottom,  the  principal  results  of  which  were  specimens  of 
the  Chiincera  [Callorhynchus  aitstralis),  and  some  curious  Isopod 
Crustaceans  of  the  genus  Scrolls.  Another  day  (March  28th) 
when  sounding  across  the  entrance  of  the  Channel,  we  made  a 
heave  of  the  trawl  in  thirty  fathoms  with  most  fruitful  results, 
obtaining  a  magnificent  specimen  of  the  orange-coloured  Astro- 
phyton {A.  Lymani),  several  small  rays  and  flat  fish,  large  Actinia, 
a  new  Crustacean  of  the  genus  Arctnnis,  starfishes,  and  a 
Cephalopod  Mollusc  of  the  genus  Rossia.  On  the  evening  of  this 
day  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  witness  a  most  beautiful  sunset 
effect.  As  the  sun  disappeared  from  a  western  olive-tinted  sky  it 
seemed  to  be  followed  in  its  descent  by  several  horizontal  bands 
of  delicate  rose-tinted  stratus  clouds,  which  extended  themselves 
in  parallel  lines  over  an  arc  of  45  ,  and  finally  tapered  away  into 
the  most  delicate  threads  of  silvery  light.  In  the  east  the  dark 
purple-tinted  clouds  melted  upwards  into  the  grey  gloom  of 
approaching  night,  and  foreshadowed  to  us  the  advent  of  another 
day  of  sunshine  in  this  the  only  really  fine  and  summer  month  in 
these  western  channels. 

At  the  head  of  Francisco  Bay — which  was  the  name  subse- 
quently given  to  this  anchorage — at  the  outlet  of  a  small  river,  we 
one  day  made  a  very  large  "  take  "  of  fish  in  a  somewhat  singular 
manner.     A  trammel  net  had  been  placed  across  the  mouth  of  the 


72  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

stream  at  high  tide,  and  on  the  tide  falling  had  been  examined 
and  found  to  contain  a  fair  number  of  fish  (mackerel).  Some 
hours  later  two  of  our  people  were  wading  up  the  river,  and  on 
coming  to  a  depression  in  its  bed,  which  was  at  about  the  limit 
to  which  the  tidal  salt-water  reached,  they  found  an  immense 
collection  of  half-dead  and  living  mackerel  in  a  pool,  in  which — 
the  tide  being  then  rather  low — the  water  was  almost  entirely 
fresh.  Here  they  caught,  with  their  hands,  fish  enough  to  fill  a 
boat,  amounting  to  a  gross  weight  of  4  cwt.  The  probable 
explanation  of  this  lucky  "take"  seems  to  be  that  the  fish  entered 
the  mouth  of  the  river  with  the  flood  tide — as  is  their  wont — and 
on  attempting  to  retreat  with  the  ebb  found  their  return  to  the 
sea  barred  by  our  net,  and  instead  of  endeavouring  to  pass 
through  the  meshes  preferred  to  move  back  into  the  brackish  water 
of  the  river.  Here,  as  the  tide  fell  still  further  and  laid  bare 
banks  of  sand  stretching  across  the  stream,  they  became  shut  off" 
altogether  from  the  sea,  and  at  dead  low  tide  the  flow  of  fresh 
water  so  predominated  over  the  salt  as  to  render  them  helplessly 
stupid,  so  that  they  fell  an  eas)-  prey  to  our  sailors. 

On  the  shores  of  this  bay  I  came  across  a  magnificent  Winter's 
bark  tree,  the  largest  which  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  channels.  Its 
smooth  and  almost  cylindrical  stem  was  nine  feet  in  circumference, 
and  ran  up  without  branching  to  a  height  of  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground. 

In  cruising  to  and  fro  about  the  channel  we  frequently  came 
across  whales.  They  were  usually  either  "finners"  or  "sperms"; 
more  commonly  the  former.  I  saw  only  one  one  "right"  whale 
during  the  many  months  which  we  spent  in  these  waters.  On 
the  17th  of  February  we  steamed  by  a  school  of  about  twenty 
"finner"  whales,  and  shortly  after  we  passed  through  a  shoal  of 
small  red  shrimps  {Gaiat/icas),  which  were  so  densely  clustered 
together  as  to  give  the  water  quite  a  scarlet  appearance.  This 
accounted  for  the  great  gathering  of  Cetaceans.  Skeletons  of 
whales  in  a  very  imperfect  state  were  abundant  about  the  shores 


Exploration  of  the  Picton   Chajinel.  73 

of  this  channel;  and  many  were  of  large  size.  On  the  shore  of 
Francisco  Bay  I  saw  lower  jaw  bones  which  measured  eleven  feet 
from  condyle  to  symphysis.  I  looked,  but  in  vain,  for  remains  of 
the  Ziphioid  Whales. 

Some  few  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Francisco  Bay  a  deep  inlet 
pierced  Wellington  Island  in  a  northerly  direction.  We  were 
anxious  to  explore  it,  as  we  thought  it  not  unlikely  that  it  might 
prove  to  be  a  navigable  passage,  connecting  Trinidad  Channel 
with  the  Gulf  of  Penas.  At  length  an  opportunity  occurred,  and 
on  a  fine  morning  in  the  month  of  March  we  steamed  into  this  un- 
surveyed  inlet.  On  fairly  passing  the  southern  entrance,  we  found 
ourselves  traversing  a  lane  of  water  of  such  glassy  smoothness, 
and  bordered  by  such  straight  running  shores,  which  were  not 
more  than  half-a-mile  apart,  as  to  seem  more  like  an  inland  canal 
than  (which  it  eventually  proved  to  be)  a  strait  leading  through  a 
nest  of  breakers  to  an  inhospitable  ocean.  Its  eastern  shore 
exhibited  the  kind  of  scenery  prevailing  about  the  Guia  Narrows; 
viz.,  round-topped  hills  with  great  bare  patches  of  rain-worn  rock 
extending  from  the  summits  to  a  talus,  which  was  covered  with  an 
uniform  mantle  of  evergreen  forest,  the  latter  encroaching  upon  the 
sea-beach.  But  the  country  to  the  west  presented  a  more  pleasing 
variety,  being  composed  of  low  undulating  slopes  of  grassy-looking 
land,  with  here  and  there  fissures  or  landslips  exhibiting  what 
seemed  to  us,  as  we  scrutinized  them  with  our  glasses,  to  be 
sections  of  a  sedimentary  formation.  We  had  hitherto  seen 
nothing  like  this  anywhere  among  the  western  channels,  and 
consequently  I  for  one  was  extremely  anxious  to  land.  However, 
the  captain  had  to  make  the  most  of  daylight  for  the  surveying 
work  in  hand,  so  that  our  conjectures  as  to  the  nature  of  this 
formation  remained  unverified.  When  we  had  attained  a  distance 
of  twenty-five  miles  from  the  southern  entrance  of  the  Strait,  the 
western  shore  was  found  to  be  broken  up  into  a  chain  of  low  islets, 
which  in  time  dwindled  away  into  a  great  arc  of  submerged  rocks, 
over  which  the  swell  of  the  broad  Pacific  broke  with  great  fury. 


74  Cniise  of  the  "AlerL"' 

This  then  was  the  end  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Picton 
Channel,  and  bold  would  be  the  mariner  who  would  attempt  to 
traverse  it,  and  thread  his  way  through  such  a  maze  of  reefs  and 
breakers.  Among  the  islets  at  this,  its  northern  extremity,  we 
found  an  anchorage,  where  we  decided  on  stopping  for  the  night. 
As  we  cast  anchor,  a  native  boat  approached,  carrying  no  less 
than  twenty-three  inmates,  most  of  whom  were  males,  and  of  a 
most  savage  and  treacherous  appearance.  They  had  with  them 
several  young  fur  seals,  recently  killed,  which  they  were  glad  to 
barter  for  tobacco  or  bi.scuit.  After  stopping  alongside  for  about 
half-an-hour,  they  paddled  away  and  were  seen  no  more.  On  the 
following  day  we  steamed  back. 

The  rocky  shores  and  islets  of  the  Trinidad  Channel  bear 
abundant  indications  of  old  ice  action.  These  marks  are  not 
very  apparent  on  the  coarse-grained  friable  syenite  which  is  the 
common  rock  of  the  district,  but  on  the  dikes  of  hard  green- 
stone, with  which  the  sj-cnite  is  frequently  intersected,  scorings 
and  striations  of  typical  character  may  be  seen.  Close  to  the 
anchorage  in  Port  Charrua,  on  the  north  side  of  the  channel, 
there  is  a  broad  band  of  greenstone  on  which  1  observed  very 
perfect  examples  of  "  crosshatchings,"  where  the  prevailing  cast 
to  west  strijE  were  intersected  by  those  of  another  system  at 
an  angle  of  about  40°.  These  rock  erosions,  coupled  with 
what  we  know  from  the  sounding-lead  as  to  the  contour  of 
the  scabottom,  lead  us  to  infer  that  the  Trinidad  Channel 
was  at  some  remote  period  the  bed  of  a  huge  glacier,  which 
flowed  westward  from  the  Cordillera.  That  most,  indeed,  of 
the  other  straits  and  channels  of  Western  Patagonia  were  also 
at  one  time  occupied  by  glaciers  is  clearly  testified  by  the 
markings  on  the  rocks. 

There  is  a  peculiar  form  of  syenite  rock  not  uncommon  in 
exposed  situations  on  the  hilltops,  which  is  composed  of  quartz, 
felspar,  and  hornblende,  the  quartz  occurring  in  crystals  of 
about    the    size   of    large    peas.     The    felspar,  being    of   a  very 


^'Hailstone''''  Rock.  75 

friable  nature,  rapidly  succumbs  to  the  disintegrating  influence 
of  the  weather,  and  crumbles  away,  taking  with  it  the  small 
particles  of  hornblende,  so  that  the  big  quartz  crystals,  when 
in  the  last  stage  prior  to  being  dislodged,  are  seen  standing 
out  in  bold  relief  from  the  matrix.  When  this  rock  is  seen 
projecting  in  round  bosses,  through  the  turfy  soil  of  a  hilltop, 
it  looks  at  a  short  distance  as  if  strewn  with  hailstones  ;  and 
the  illusion  is  heightened  on  observing  on  its  leeward  side 
heaps  of  loose  quartz  crystals,  which  have  been  completely 
weathered  out  from  the  parent  rock,  and  have  been  drifted  by 
the  wind  into  this  comparatively  sheltered  situation,  as  would 
be  the  case  with  hailstones  under  similar  circumstances. 

But  the  most  characteristic  feature  in  the  sceneiy  of  the 
western  shores  of  Patagonia  is  owing  to  the  phenomenon  of 
"  soil  motion,"  an  occurrence  which  is  here  in  a  great  measure 
due  to  the  exceptionally  wet  nature  of  the  climate.  This 
slippage  of  the  soilcap  seems  in  this  region  to  be  continually 
taking  place  wherever  the  basement  rock  presents  a  moderately 
inclined  surface.  Some  of  the  effects  of  this  "soil  motion"  arc 
apt  to  be  confounded  with  those  due  to  glacial  action,  for  the 
soilcap  takes  with  it  in  its  downward  progress  not  only  its 
clothing  of  trees,  ferns,  and  mosses,  but  also  a  "  moraine  pro- 
fonde "  of  rock,  stones,  and  stems  of  dead  trees  great  and 
small,  wherebj^'  the  hills  arc  being  denuded,  and  the  valleys, 
lakes,  and  channels  gradually  filled  up.  When  we  first  entered 
the  Western  Channels  my  attention  was  at  once  directed  to  this 
subject  on  noticing  that  the  lower  branches  of  trees  growing 
in  immediate  proximity  to  the  sea-shore  were  in  many  places 
withering  from  immersion  in  the  salt  water,  and  that  in  some 
cases  entire  trees  had  perished  prematurely,  from  their  roots 
having  become  entirely  submerged.  On  looking  more  closely 
into  the  matter,  I  noticed  that  sodden  snags  of  dead  trees, 
mingled  with  stones,  were  often  to  be  seen  on  the  bottom  of 
the  inshore  waters,  and  that  the  beds  of  fresh  water  lakes  were 


76  Crtiise  of  the  '' Alert r 

plentifully  strewn   with  similar  fragments  of  wood,  the  remains 
of  bygone   forests   which   had    perished   prematurely.      These  cir- 
cumstances are  fully  explained  by  the  occurrence  of  soil  motion, 
for    as    the    soilcap   by   its   sliding    motion,   imparted    by  gravi- 
tation, and  aided   by  expansion  and   contraction  of  the  spongy 
mass,   reaches    the   water's    edge,    the    soluble    portions   are    re- 
moved, while  its  more  durable  contents  are   left   to  accumulate 
at  the  foot  of  the  incline.      In   this  way  rocks  and  stones  may 
sometimes   be    seen    balanced    in    odd    situations    near    the    sea 
beach,  simulating  the  "  roches  perchees "  which  arc  dropped  by 
a  melting   iceberg   or  a   receding  glacier.     These   circumstances 
are    all    the   more    interesting    from    their   occurring    in   a   region 
where  the  effects  of  old  and  recent  glacial  action  are  exhibited 
to  a   marked   degree.      Planings,  scorings,  striations,  and   "  roches 
moutonn^es "    may,   one    or    other,    be    almost    invariably  found 
wherever  the   rock   is  sulTicieiitly  impervious  to  the  disintegrating 
action   of  the  weather  to   retain    these   impressions.     Thus  they 
are   nowhere   to   be   seen   on   the  coarse-grained    friable  syenite, 
which  is  the  common  rock  of  the  district ;  but  where  this  rock 
is    intersected    by    dikes    of   the    more    durable    greenstone,    the 
above-mentioned    signs   of   former   glacial    action    may   be    seen 
well    developed.     I    speak    now    of   old    glacial    action,   because 
we  have  not   found   any  glacier  existing   in   the    neighbourhood 
of    the    Trinidad    Channel,    from    whence    they    seem     to    have 
entirely   receded  ;    but   they   are  yet   to   be    seen    in    the   fiords 
of   the    mainland    further    north  ;    and    in    the    main    Straits    of 
Magellan    we   had   opportunities   of   studying   fine    examples    of 
complete  and  incomplete  glaciers,  exhibiting  in  all  its  grandeur 
that   wonderful    denuding   power    which    these   ponderous   masses 
of    ice    exercise   as    they    move    silently   over    their    rocky    beds. 
There    are,    therefore,    in    this    region,    ample    opportunities    of 
comparing   and   differentiating   phenomena,   which    have    resulted 
from    former   glacial   action,   and    those   which   are   due   to   soil- 
motion — a  force  now  in  operation. 


Soil  ]\Iotio7i  here  and  t?i  the  Falklands.  77 

Sir  Wyville  Thompson  (vide  "  Voyage  of  Challenger,"  vol.  ii., 
p.  245)  attributes  the  origin  of  the  celebrated  "Stone  Runs"  of 
the  Falkland  Islands  to  the  transporting  action  of  the  soilcap, 
which  among  other  causes  derives  its  motion  from  alternate 
expansion  and  contraction  of  the  spongy  mass  of  peat,  due  to 
varying  conditions  of  moisture  and  comparative  dryness  ;  and 
this  hypothesis  is  to  a  certain  extent  supported  by  the  occur- 
rences which  I  now  endeavour  to  describe.  Here,  in  Western 
Patagonia,  an  evergreen  arboreal  forest,  rising  through  a  dense 
undergrowth  of  brushwood  and  mosses,  clothes  the  hill-sides  to 
a  height  of  about  1,000  feet,  and  this  mass  of  vegetation,  with 
its  subjacent  peaty,  swampy  soil,  resting — as  it  frequently  docs 
— upon  a  hill-side  already  planed  by  old  ice  action,  naturally 
tends,  under  the  influence  of  gravitation,  combined  with  that  of 
expansion  and  contraction  of  the  soil,  to  slide  gradually  down- 
wards until  it  meets  the  sea,  lake,  or  valley,  as  the  case  may 
be.  In  the  two  former  cases  the  free  edge  of  the  mass  is 
removed  by  the  action  of  the  water,  in  a  manner  somewhat 
analogous  to  the  wasting  of  the  submerged  snout  of  a  "  com- 
plete glacier"  in  the  summer  lime;  whereas  in  the  last  instance 
a  chaotic  accumulation  of  all  the  constituents  of  the  transported 
mass  gradually  takes  place,  thereby  tending  to  an  eventual  ob- 
literation of  the  valley.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  conditions 
which  are  said  to  have  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  "  Stone 
Runs "  of  the  Falklands  here  exist  in  equal  if  not  greater 
force.  There  is  a  thick  spongy  vegetable  mass  covering  the 
hill-sides,  and  acted  on  by  varying  conditions  of  extreme 
moisture  and  comparative  dryness  ;  there  are  the  loose  blocks 
of  disintegrating  syenite  to  be  transported  ;  and  there  are  moun- 
tain torrents,  lakes,  and  sea- channels  to  remove  the  soil.  That 
motion  of  the  soilcap  does  actually  take  place  we  have  at  least 
strong  presumptive  evidence  ;  but  anything  resembling  a  "  stone 
run  "  remains  yet  to  be  discovered.  It  would  naturally  suggest 
itself  to   the   reader  that   the  above   phenomenon   attributed    to 


78  Cruise  0/  the  ''Alatr 

soil  motion  might  be  accounted  for  by  a  slow  and  gradual 
depression  of  the  land,  and  I  have  carefully  sought  for  evidence 
favouring  this  view,  but  have  found  no  reliable  sign  whatever 
of  subsidence  ;  while  on  the  other  hand  one  sees  raised  beaches 
and  stones  testifying  to  the  ravages  of  stone-boring  molluscs 
at  heights  above  the  present  high-water  marks,  which  indicate 
that  even  elevation  of  the  land  has  taken  place. 

On  May  6th,  the  winter  season  having  then  fairly  set  in,  we  bade 
adieu  for  a  while  to  our  surveying  ground,  and  commenced  our 
northern  voyage  to  Valparaiso.  Our  course  lay  first  through  the 
sheltered  channels  which  separate  Wellington  Island  from  the  main- 
land. As  we  rounded  Topar  Islands  and  entered  Wide  Channel, 
the  heavy  mist  which  had  been  hanging  around  us  all  the  morning, 
almost  concealing  the  land  from  sight,  lifted  at  intervals  like  a 
veil,  and  exposed  to  view  the  noble  cliffs  of  bare  greenstone 
rock  which  hemmed  us  in  on  cither  side, — here  and  there  streaked 
down  their  faces  by  long  slender  cascades  of  water,  extending 
from  summit  to  base,  and  seeming  to  hang  over  us  like 
glistening  threads  of  silver.  On  passing  the  southern  outlet 
of  Icy  Reach,  we  saw  shining  in  the  distance  the  sloping 
tongue-shaped  extremity  of  one  of  the  Eyie  Sound  glaciers, 
whose  bergs  float  out  through  Icy  Reach  in  the  winter  time 
and  sometimes  prove  a  serious  obstruction  to  navigation  in  these 
gloomy  and  mjsterious  channels.  In  Chasm  Reach,  which  we 
next  traversed,  the  hills  on  cither  side  rose  nearly  perpendicularly 
to  a  height  of  1,500  feet,  their  snow-capped  summits  contrasting 
grandly  with  the  sombre  tints  of  their  rocky  sides  ;  so  scantily 
clad  with  vegetation  as  to  seem  at  a  distance  mere  sloping  walls 
of  rock. 

In  the  narrowest  part  of  this  "  reach,"  where  the  width  was  only 
about  half-a-mile,  three  native  huts  were  seen  established  on  low 
projecting  shelves  of  rock,  and  situated  about  a  mile  apart.  To  these 
our  attention  was  attracted  by  the  long  curling  wreaths  of  grey 
smoke  ascending  from  their  fires.     As  darkness  was  coming  on, 


The  English  Narrows.  79 

we  did  not  stop  to  examine  them,  but  steamed  on  towards  Port 
Grappler,  where  we  anchored  for  the  night. 

We  got  under  way  early  in  the  morning  of  the  following  day, 
and  proceeded  through  the  channel  as  far  as  Hoskyn  Cove,  an 
anchorage  just  to  the  northward  of  the  famous  English  Narrows. 
The  morning  had  been  hazy  and  showery,  but  towards  noon  the 
mist  cleared  away,  and  as  we  passed  the  English  Narrows,  a 
burst  of  sunshine  completed  the  dispersion  of  the  hazy  vapour  and 
lighted  up  a  scene  of  surpassing  splendour.  The  scenery  here 
contrasted  strangely  with  that  of  Chasm  Reach,  for  the  steep 
hillsides  now  were  richly  clothed  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
primeval  forest,  and  rising  to  a  greater  altitude,  had  their  summits 
capped  with  a  broad  mantle  of  snow,  which  showed  to  great 
advantage  against  the  deep  blue  of  the  sky.  In  the  narrowest 
part  of  the  channel,  where  the  flood  tide  was  making  southward 
in  a  rapid  stream,  numbers  of  fur  seals  were  gambolling  in  the 
water,  and  the  energetic  movements  of  the  cormorants  testified 
to  the  abundance  of  the  fish. 

Formerly  the  vessels  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company 
were  in  the  habit  of  running  through  these  "Narrows,"  but  of 
late  years  the  practice  has  been  discontinued,  on  account  of 
the  difficulty  of  managing  the  long  vessels  which  are  now 
in  vogue.  Therefore,  excepting  an  occasional  man-of-war,  the 
only  vessels  which  at  the  present  day  make  use  of  the  channels 
leading  to  the  Gulf  of  Penas  are  the  steamers  of  the  German 
"Kosmos"  line.  The  deciduous  beech  {Fagus  antarctica)  here 
formed  a  great  proportion  of  the  forest  growth,  and  as  its 
leaves  were  now  withering,  their  autumn  tints  gave  a  variegated 
character  to  the  wooded  scenery,  a  feature  not  observed  farther 
south,  where  the  evergreen  beech  [Fagus  bettiloidcs)  predominates. 
The  Cavipsidimn  chikiise,  a  large  trailing  plant,  was  abundant 
and  in  full  bloom,  its  flowering  branches  usually  depending  in 
lathcr  inaccessible  places  from  the  upper  parts  of  the  trees  to 
which  it  clung  ;  and  here  we  obtained  for  the  first  time  specimens 


8o  Cruise  of  tJu  ''Alcrtr 

of  the  loveliest  of  South  American  ferns,  the  Hymenophyllum 
crucntmn. 

The  morning  of  the  8th  May  broke  wet  and  gloomy  as  we  got 
under  way  and  initiated  the  next  stage  on  our  journey.  All  day 
long  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  a  ficsh  northerly  breeze,  blowing 
right  in  our  teeth,  raised  a  heavy,  chopping  sea,  which  made  the 
old  ship  heave  uneasily,  and  gave  us  a  sort  of  foretaste  of  what  we 
should  have  to  encounter  next  day  on  emerging  from  the  Gulf  of 
Peiias  into  the  troubled  waters  of  the  Pacific.  Steaming  thus 
against  wind  and  sea,  we  made  such  slow  progress  that  night  had 
fairly  come  on  us  when  we  crept  under  shelter  of  the  lofty  hills 
which  overshadow  Island  Harbour. 

On  the  following  morning  we  entered  the  open  sea,  and  steered 
for  Valparaiso. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

ON  THE  COAST  OF  CHILI. 

ON  anchoring  at  Valparaiso  on  the  i6th  May,  the  first  news 
we  heard  was  that  the  country  was  in  a  great  state  of 
excitement,  ancnt  the  war  in  which  Chili  was  then  engaged  with 
Peru  and  Bolivia.  All  the  available  troops  and  men-of-war 
had  been  despatched  to  the  seat  of  war  in  the  north,  leaving  t'le 
capital  in  almost  a  defenceless  condition,  so  that  great  fears  were 
entertained  lest  one  of  the  Peruvian  cruisers  should  take  advan- 
tage of  this  to  bombard  the  town.  The  last  detachment  sent  off 
consisted  of  the  town  police,  and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  the 
maintenance  of  order  in  the  streets,  and  the  manning  of  the  guns 
of  the  forts,  had  been  entrusted  to  the  corps  of  "Bomberos"  (fire 
brigade). 

The  principal  part  of  the  town  is  built  on  a  plateau  about  ten 
feet  above  high-water  mark,  which  forms  a  margin  to  the  curving 
shore  of  the  bay,  and  reaches  inland  for  a  few  hundred  yards. 
Beyond  this  the  outskirts  of  the  town  are  disposed  irregularly 
over  a  number  of  steep  ridges,  which  converge  radially  on  the 
town  from  the  mountain  range  behind.  There  was  one  principal 
street  running  more  or  less  parallel  with  the  shore,  and  containing 
fine-looking  shops  well  supplied  with  everything  needful,  but  the 
second-rate  ones  were  very  dingy  in  comparison.  Owing  to  the 
great   stagnation   of    trade   brouglit   about    by    the   war,   and   the 

6 


82  Cttiise  of  the  ''Alert:' 

consequent  scarcity  of  money  amongst  consumers,  the  prices  of 
provisions  were  very  moderate,  although  under  normal  conditions 
Valparaiso  is  famous  among  Europeans  for  its  high  prices.  Fruit 
also  and  vegetables  were  in  great  abundance,  and  large  bunches 
of  delicious  grapes  were  to  be  had  for  almost  a  nominal  price. 

One  remarkable  feature  of  Valparaiso  is  that  within  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  town  a  considerable  number  of  people  of  the  very 
lowest  grade  live  in  a  sort  of  gipsy  encampment.  The  buildings 
which  they  here  occupy  are  filthy  nondescript  hovels,  constructed 
out  of  a  patchwork  of  mud,  bits  of  tin,  old  planks,  discarded  doors, 
pieces  of  sackcloth,  etc.,  all  stuck  up  together  anyhow.  Even  in 
the  respectable  quarter  of  the  town  these  filthy  dens  were  some- 
times to  be  seen  occupying  blind  alley's,  or  the  site  of  razed 
buildings. 

Sir  George  Narcs  left  us  here  to  return  home  by  mail-steamer, 
on  appointment  to  the  Marine  and  Harbour  Department  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  was  relieved  in  command  of  the  Alert  by 
Captain  J.  F".  L.  P.  Maclear. 

After  wishing  him  good-bye  on  the  i8th  of  .May,  we  got  under 
way  and  steered  for  Coquimbo.  On  gaining  an  offing  of  about 
ten  miles,  and  looking  in  towards  the  Chilian  coast,  to  which  we 
were  then  pursuing  a  parallel  course,  we  saw  the  lowlands  partially 
veiled  in  a  thin  stratum  of  mist,  above  which  towered  magnificently 
the  snowy  summit  of  Aconcagua,  23,220  feet  in  height.  As  wc 
approached  the  Bay  of  Coquimbo,  we  passed  through  immense 
shoals  of  fishes,  which  sheered  off  in  great  confusion  to  either  side 
of  our  bows  with  the  parting  waves.  On  subsequently  hauling 
in  the  "  patent  log,"  it  was  found  that  the  revolving  blades  had 
disappeared,  the  towing-line  having  been  chopped  in  two  just 
above  its  attachment.  This  was  probably  the  work  of  some 
hungry  and  indiscriminating  shark,  whose  stomach  must  have  been 
put  to  a  severe  trial  in  endeavouring  to  digest  this  angular  and 
unwholesome  piece  of  metal. 

The  port  of  Coquimbo,  where  we  stayed  from  the  1 9th  of  May 


Coquimbo  Copper    Trade — Shell  Terraces.  83 

to  the  1 6th  of  July,  derives  whatever  importance  it  has  got  from 
being  one  of  the  best  (if  not  the  very  best)  of  the  anchorages  on 
the  Chihan  coast,  and  from  its  connection  with  the  copper  trade. 
It  is  brought  into  communication  with  the  mines  and  smelting 
works  by  means  of  a  line  of  railway,  which,  independently  of  its 
collateral  branches,  pierces  the  copper-producing  country  to  a 
distance  of  sixty  miles.  The  copper,  either  in  the  form  of  ingots, 
bars,  or  regulus,  is  shipped  to  Europe — principally  to  England — 
in  steamers  or  sailing  vessels.  The  country,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach  from  the  anchorage,  is  a  mere  sandy  desert,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  an  odd  oasis  of  cultivated  land,  which  has  been 
rendered  productive  by  means  of  artificial  irrigation.  Trees  arc 
rare  ;  but  within  the  last  few  years  the  eucalyptus  has  been  intro- 
duced, and  with  great  success.  In  properly  irrigated  localities 
it  thrives  and  grows  with  great  rapidity, — in  half-a-dozen  years 
rising  to  a  height  of  sixty  feet, — and  forming  masses  of  foliage, 
which,  by  the  shade  it  affords,  increases  the  productiveness  of 
the  neighbouring  soil. 

Coquimbo  has  been  rendered  celebrated  for  its  shell  terraces 
by  the  writings  of  Darwin,  Basil  Hall,  and  others.  These  arc 
long  plateaux  of  variable  size,  sometimes  a  couple  of  hundred 
yards,  sometimes  a  mile  in  width,  with  their  sharply  defined  free 
margins  running  more  or  less  parallel  to  the  curved  outline  of 
the  sea  beach,  and  extending  inland  by  a  scries  of  gradations, 
like  the  tiers  of  boxes  in  a  theatre.  There  are  five  or  si.x  of 
these  terraces  ;  that  furthest  inland  being  about  250  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  and  its  free  margin  being  about  six  miles  from  the 
beach.  They  are  of  entirely  marine  origin,  and  abound  in  shells 
of  existing  species,  and  they  testify  to  the  different  periods  of 
elevation  to  which  tliis  part  of  the  continent  has  been  subjected. 

On  the  night  of  the  2nd  of  June  we  felt  a  slight  shock  of 
earthquake.  The  cable  rattled  in  the  hawse-pipe  as  if  it  were 
being  violently  shaken  below  by  some  giant  who  had  got  -hold 
of  the  other  end  ;   and  the  ship  vibrated  and  surged  up  and  down 


84  Cruise  of  the  ''Alerts 

as  if  she  had  been  struck  by  a  wave  coming  vertically  from  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  The  shock  lasted  about  ten  seconds,  and 
then  all  was  again  silent.  Earthquakes  of  this  magnitude  arc 
of  common  occurrence  in  Chili. 

One  day  a  large  party  of  us  went  on  a  shooting  excursion  to 
Las  Cardas,  an  estate  occupying  a  mountain  valley  thirty-si.x  miles 
from  Coquimbo,  and  belonging  to  Mr.  Lambert,  an  English 
gentleman.  For  this  trip  we  were  indebted  to  Mr.  Weir,  the 
courteous  manager  of  Mr.  Lambert's  mines,  smelting  works,  and 
estate,  who  not  only  provided  a  special  train  to  convey  us  to  the 
shooting  ground,  but  entertained  us  there  most  sumptuously.  The 
estate  of  "  Las  Cardas"  lies  at  the  termination  of  the  southern- 
most part  of  the  two  valleys  which  open  into  the  Bay  of  Coquimbo, 
and  beyond  this  station  the  railway  pursues  its  further  course 
over  the  brow  of  a  hill  called  the  "  Cuesta,"  which  it  ascends  by 
a  series  of  zigzags.  Although  its  route  here  appears,  at  first 
sight,  circuitous  enough,  the  gradient  of  the  incline  is  an  average 
of  one  in  thirty  feet,  ranging  as  high  as  one  in  twenty-five.  We 
found  it  interesting  to  stop  for  a  while  at  the  station  and  watch 
our  departing  train  trailing  along  its  zigzag  course  up  the  hillside, 
as  it  steamed  on  towards  the  inland  terminus  of  the  line,  viz., 
"  Rio  Grande,"  which  was  some  thirty  miles  further  on.  The 
"Rio  Grande"  station  is  2,ooo  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Coquimbo 
terminus  at  the  other  end. 

In  the  bed  of  a  broad  valley,  and  in  the  gullies  communicating 
Avith  it  laterally  from  the  hills,  we  expected  to  get  a  good  many 
partridges  ;  but  owing  to  the  thickness  of  the  brushwood,  and 
the  absence  of  dogs,  we  saw  very  few,  and  shot  fewer  still. 
However,  we  were  assured  that  the  birds  were  there,  and  only 
wanted  proper  stirring  up  to  make  them  visible  ;  so  that  as  we 
were  every  minute  expecting  that  the  next  moment  a  great  covey 
would  start  up  from  the  bushes,  and  consequently  kept  our  guns 
ready  for  action,  we  managed  to  keep  up  the  requisite  amount 
of  excitement  for  several  hours  without  materially  violating  the 


Birds  at  Las  Caida, — Island  of  St.  Ambrose.         85 

spirit  of  the  regulations  of  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Anirr.ah 
Society. 

In  the  evening  we  assembled  at  a  clump  of  trees,  which  seemcJ 
to  be  a  favourite  roosting-place  for  doves  ;  and  as  the  birds 
came  down  from  the  hills  to  take  up  their  quarters  for  the  night, 
they  afforded  us  some  very  nice  shooting  while  the  daylight 
lasted.  The  most  interesting  birds  which  I  noticed  in  the  valley 
were  two  species  oi pteroptochus,  the  smaller  of  which  was  almost 
identical  in  general  character  with  the  tapacola  of  Coquimbo, 
where  it  inhabits  the  low  rocky  hills,  and  attracts  attention  by 
its  barking  noise,  and  by  the  odd  manner  in  which  it  erects  its 
tail.  Although  the  barking  noise  is  heard  frequently,  and  some- 
times within  a  few  yards  of  one,  j-et  the  bird  itself  is  seen 
comparatively  rarely.  The  bird  of  Las  Cardas,  however,  might 
with  a  little  care  be  seen,  whilst  uttering  its  odd  programme  of 
noises,  as  it  stood  under  the  overhanging  branches  of  some  large 
bush.  On  being  startled  it  makes  off  in  a  peculiar  manner, 
taking  long  strides  rather  than  hops,  and  moving  in  a  scries  of 
sharp  curves  in  and  out  among  the  bushes.  In  adapting  itself 
to  these  curves,  the  body  of  the  bird  is  inclined  considerably  to 
the  inner  side,  so  that  in  this  position,  with  its  long  legs  and 
great  clumsy  tail,  it  forms  a  truly  grotesque  object.  Examples 
of  the  larger  species  of  pteroptochus  (/*.  alhicoUis)  were  generally 
to  be  seen  in  pairs,  perched  on  the  summit  of  a  tall  bush,  the 
white  throat  and  white  stripes  over  the  eye  showing  conspicuously. 

We  sailed  from  Coquimbo  on  the  i6th  of  July,  and  shaped  our 
course  for  the  Islands  Felix  and  Ambrose,  which  lie  about  five 
hundred  miles  to  the  north-west  of  Coquimbo.  The  object  of  this 
cruise  was  to  take  some  deep-sea  soundings  between  the  mainland 
and  the  above-mentioned  islands.  The  weather  was,  for  the  most 
part,  very  unfavourable,  the  ship  rolling  and  kicking  diabolically, 
and  making  our  lives  very  miserable.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
20th,  St.  Ambrose,  the  eastward  island  of  the  two,  hove  in  sight, 
bat  as  the  day  was  too  far  advanced  to  admit  of  our  landing,  wc 


66  Cruise  of  the  ''Alertr 

"  lay-to  "  about  six  miles  to  windward  of  it.  Viewing  the  island 
at  this  distance  from  the  eastward,  it  presented  the  appearance  of 
a  roughly  cubical  flat-topped  mass  of  rock,  leaning  slightly  to  the 
northward,  and  bounded — so  far  as  one  could  see — by  perpen- 
dicular cliffs  of  a  gloomy  and  forbidding  aspect,  which  rose  to  an 
altitude  of  1,500  feet.  As  we  approached  the  island  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning  its  appearance  by  no  means  improved,  and  nowhere 
could  be  seen  any  break  in  the  rampart  of  lofty  cliffs,  which  seemed 
to  forbid  our  disturbing  their  solitude.  We  looked  in  vain  for  the 
"  sheltered  cove,"  where,  as  the  sailing  instructions  say,  "  there  is 
good  landing  for  boats  at  all  times  of  the  year."  After  making 
the  circuit  of  the  island,  wc  "  lay-to  "  about  a  mile  from  the  N.E. 
cliff",  and  two  boats  were  sent  to  reconnoitre,  in  one  of  which  I 
took  passage.  After  pulling  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
foot  of  the  cliffs,  we  at  length  succeeded,  though  with  great  diffi- 
culty, in  landing  at  the  foot  of  a  spur  of  basaltic  rock,  which 
sloped  down  from  the  cliffs  at  a  high  angle.  The  first  thing  that 
attracted  our  attention  was  a  grotesque-looking  crab  {Grapsiis 
variegatns),  of  a  reddish-brown  colour,  mottled  on  the  carapace 
with  yellow  spots.  It  scuttled  about  in  a  most  independent  way, 
and  seemed  quite  indifferent  as  to  whether  it  trotted  over  the  bot- 
toms of  the  rock  pools,  or  ran  up  the  steep  face  of  the  rock  to  a 
height  of  forty  feet  above  the  water-line.  Sea-birds  innumerable 
flew  about  us  in  all  directions,  but  on  careful  inspection  we  could 
only  muster  up  three  different  species;  viz.,  a  large  white-winged 
gannet(.S«/rt),  a  plump  dark-coloured  petrel  {Aestrclata  dcfilippiana), 
and  a  slender  white  and  grey  tern  {Anous).*  The  petrels  were 
nesting  in  the  rock  crevices.  The  nest  consisted  of  a  few  withered 
twigs  and  dirty  feaLhers,  forming  a  very  scanty  bed  on  the  hard 
rock,  and  containing  a  solitary  white  egg.  The  birds  stuck  bravely 
to  their  nests,  and  would  not  relinqui'h  their  charge  until,  with 
bill  and  claws,  they  had  gi\en  an  account  of  themselves,  calculated 

•  These  and  other  birds  collected  during  the  cruise  have  been  described  and  determined 
by  Mr.  R.  Bowdler  Sharpe,  the  distinguished  ornithokigisl  of  the  Uritish  Museum. 


Geologic  St  rue  tut  c — Habits  of  Petrels.  87 

to  rather  astonish  an  incautious  intruder.  Nevertheless,  I  subse- 
quently ascertained,  by  dissection  of  specimens  taken  from  the 
nests,  that  both  male  and  female  birds  take  part  in  the  duty  of 
hatching.  The  rock  in  this  locality  was  almost  completely  sterile; 
only  three  or  four  plants  (stunted  undershrubs)  were  found,  which 
eked  out  a  miserable  existence  among  fragments  of  crumbling 
rock. 

The  island  is  of  volcanic  formation.  The  cliffs  which  we 
examined  displayed  a  section,  fully  1,000  feet  deep,  of  various 
layers  of  tuff,  laterite,  and  scoricne,  which,  for  the  most  part,  stretched 
out  horizontally,  and  were  intersected  in  every  conceivable  direc- 
tion by  dykes  of  basalt.  In  some  places  ridges  or  spurs  of  rock 
projected  like  buttresses  from  the  vertical  cliff;  and  where  we 
landed  the  spur  was  composed  of  a  vertical  djke  of  basalt  flanked 
by  a  crumbling  scoriaccous  rock,  which  latter  was  being  worn  away 
by  the  action  of  waves  and  weather  much  more  rapidly  than  its  core 
of  basalt.  The  columnar  blocks  of  which  the  basalt  was  composed 
were  bedded  horizontally  ;  i.e.,  at  right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the 
dyke,  so  that  the  appearance  of  the  whole  was  strikingly  suggestive 
of  an  immense  stone  staircase.  After  a  stay  of  an  hour  and  a 
half  we  were  signalled  to  return  on  board,  as  Captain  Maclear  was 
obliged  to  get  under  way,  and  accordingly  at  half-past  twelve 
we  were  sailing  away  to  the  southward,  leaving  this  comparatively 
unknown  island  as  a  prize  for  future  explorers. 

In  the  course  of  this  cruise  we  were  followed  by  great  numbers 
of  petrels,  among  which  were  the  giant  petrel  {Ossifraga  giganted), 
the  Cape  pigeon  {Daption  capensis),  and  two  species  of  T/ialassi- 
droma  (I  think  T.  leucogaster  and  T.  Wilsoni').  I  noticed  on  this, 
as  on  several  subsequent  occasions,  that  the  little  storm  petrel  is 
in  the  habit  of  kicking  the  water  with  one  leg  when  it  is  skimming 
the  surface  in  searching  for  its  food.  This  mo\emcnt  is  usually 
seen  most  clearly  when  the  sea  presents  a  slightly  undulating 
surface  ;  and  when  the  bird  strikes  the  water  in  performing  a 
slight  cur\e  in  its  flight,  one  can  see  that  it  is  invariably  the  outer 


88  O-utse  of  the  "A /at." 

leg  that  is  used.  The  object  of  this  manccuvrc  seems  to  be  to  give 
the  body  sufficient  upward  impulse  to  prevent  the  wings  from 
becoming  wetted  in  rising  from  near  the  surface.  I  have  often 
observed  the  Atlantic  storm  petrels  steady  themselves  on  the 
water  with  both  legs  together,  but  have  never  seen  them  perform 
this  one- legged  "kick,"  like  their  congeners  of  the  Pacific.  There 
are  contradictory  statements  in  natural  history  works  as  to  whether 
petrels  do  or  do  not  follow  ships  during  the  night  time.  Those 
who  adopt  the  negative  view  of  the  question  maintain  that  the 
birds  rest  on  the  waves  during  the  night  and  pick  up  the  ship 
next  morning  by  following  her  wake.  For  a  long  time  I  was  in 
doubt  as  to  which  was  the  correct  view  to  take,  although  I  had 
often  on  dark  nights,  when  sitting  on  the  taffrail  of  the  ship,  fancied 
I  had  heard  the  chirp  of  the  small  petrels.  At  length  I  became 
provoked  that  after  having  spent  so  many  years  at  sea  I  should 
still  be  in  doubt  about  such  a  matter  as  this,  so  I  began  to  make 
systematic  observations,  in  which  I  was  assisted  by  the  officers  of 
watches  and  quartermasters,  who  were  also  interested  in  the  matter. 
The  result  is  that  I  am  now  quite  certain  that  the  storm  petrel 
and  Cape  pigeon  do  follow  the  ship  by  night  as  well  as  by  day, 
and  that,  moreover,  the  night  is  the  best  time  for  catching  them. 
Eveiy  night,  for  a  time,  I  used  to  tow  a  long  light  thread  from 
the  stern  of  the  ship;  it  was  about  sixty  yards  long,  and  fitted  at 
the  end  with  an  anchor-shaped  piece  of  bottle  wire,  which  just 
skimmed  along  the  surface  of  the  water  and  yet  allowed  the  thread 
to  float  freely  in  the  air.  I  found  this  device  a  great  improve- 
ment on  the  old-fashioned  method  of  using  several  unarmed  thread.s, 
and  in  this  way  I  caught  at  night-time,  and  even  on  the  darkest 
nights,  both  storm  petrels  and  Cape  pigeons;  the  latter,  however, 
usually  breaking  my  thread  and  escaping.  If  I  sat  down  quietly 
and  held  the  line  lightly  between  my  finger  and  thumb,  I  would  feel 
every  now  and  then  a  vibration  as  a  bird  collided  with  it.  Oi 
moonlight  nights,  moreover,  one  could  ahva)'.s,  by  watching  care- 
fully, see  the  big  Cape  pigeons  flitting  about  the  stern  of  the  ship. 


Flight  of  the  Albatross.  Sg 

My  experience  of  petrels  and  albatrosses  is  that  whenever  they 
are  having  a  really  good  meal,  .they  invariably  sit  down  on  the 
water.  This  is  especially  noticeable  about  noon,  when  mess 
garbage  is  thrown  overboard,  and  in  perfectly  calm  weather  I 
have  even  seen  a  flock  of  storm  petrels  settle  down  on  the  surface 
as  if  meaning  to  rest  themselves,  and  remain  as  still  as  ducks  on 
a  pond,  basking  in  the  sunshine.  One  day  also  in  moderately  fine 
weather  I  thought  I  saw  a  Cape  pigeon  dive.  This  surprised  me 
so  that  I  watched,  and  saw  the  manoeuvre  repeated  again  and  again. 
Some  refuse  had  been  cast  overboard  which  scarcely  floated,  and 
this  petrel,  being  desirous  of  possessing  some  morsels  of  food 
which  were  submerged,  dived  bodily  down,  apparently  without  the 
least  inconvenience. 

Before  quitting  this  subject,  I  shall  say  a  few  words  on  a 
somewhat  hackneyed  but  still  open  question,  viz., — "the  flight 
of  the  albatross."  I  have  had  many  opportunities  of  watching  the 
yellow-billed  species  {D.  Melanoplirys),  and  I  have  noticed  that 
it  sometimes  uses  its  wings  to  raise  or  propel  itself  in  such  a 
manner  that  to  a  superficial  observer  it  would  then  appear  to 
be  only  soaring  with  wings  stationary.  It  does  not  "flap"  them, 
but  depresses  them  rapidly  towards  the  breast,  so  that  it  seems 
as  if  the  body  were  being  raised  at  the  expense  of  the  wings, 
whereas,  in  reality,  the  entire  bird  is  elevated.  The  movement 
does  not  resemble  a  flap,  simply  because  the  return  of  the  wings 
to  the  horizontal  position  is  accomplished  by  a  comparatively 
slow  movement.  By  resorting  to  this  manoeuvre  occasionally,  it 
is  able  to  maintain  a  soaring  flight  for  periods  which,  without 
its  aid,  might  be  considered  extraordinarily  long.  Of  course, 
V,  hen  it  wants  to  gain  a  fresh  stock  of  buoyancy  and  momentum, 
it  gives  three  or  four  flaps  like  any  other  bird. 

During  our  return  stay  at  Valparaiso  from  the  ist  to  the  2  1st 
cf  August,  1  made  a  trip  to  Santiago,  the  capital  of  Chili. 
Santiago  is  built  on  the  great  plateau  which  lies  between  the  coast 
range  of  hills  and  the  Cordillera,  and  is  1,500  feet  above  the  sea 


go  Cruise  of  the  \'Alcri:^ 

level.  The  dist.incc  by  rail  from  Valparaiso  is  about  120  miles, 
but  as  the  railroad  makes  the  greater  part  of  the  ascent  within  a 
distance  of  50  miles,  the  average  gradient  of  the  incline  is  con- 
siderable. The  train  follows  the  line  of  the  seashore  for  a  distance 
of  about  3  miles  to  Ihc  northward  of  Valparaiso,  when  it  reaches 
the  mouth  of  a  wide  valley  running  inland,  the  windings  of  whose 
right  bank  it  follows  until  a  station  called  Llallai  (pronounced 
"Yayai")  is  reached.  It  then  makes  a  steep  ascent  along  the 
side  of  a  mountain,  and  here  on  one  side  a  precipitous  wall  of  con- 
glomerate rock  faces  the  carriage  windows,  while  on  the  other  the 
eye  gazes  into  the  depths  of  an  ever-receding  valley,  above  which 
the  train  seems  poised  as  if  by  magic.  While  one  is  still  lost  in 
contemplation  of  this  abyss,  a  short  tunnel  in  a  buttress  of  the 
mountain  is  traversed,  and  the  train  suddenly  sweeps  round  a 
sharp  corner,  and  crossing  the  valley  by  a  light  iron  bridge  which 
here  spans  a  part  of  it,  constricted  to  a  narrow  chasm,  enters  a 
highland  defile  on  the  opposite  side.  This  place  is  known  as  the 
"Mequin  Paso."  The  train  now  pursues  a  meandering  track  among 
the  hills  of  Montenegro,  where  the  summit  level  of  the  railway 
is  reached,  and  then  inclines  gradually  downwards  to  the  great 
plain  of  Santiago. 

After  establishing  ourselves  in  the  Oddo  Hotel,  which  is  situated 
in  the  middle  of  the  city,  close  to  the  "Plaza  De  Armas,"  we 
commenced  our  cxjiiorations,  and  first  proceeded  to  the  Natural 
History  Museum.  It  lies  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and  occu- 
pies a  spacious  building  which  was  originally  constructed  for  the 
Exhibition  of  1S75,  and  to  which  the  Natural  History  collections 
were  transferred  in  1 877.  Favoured  b)'  a  letter  of  introduction, 
we  were  here  fortunate  enough  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Dr. 
Phillipi,  the  distinguished  naturalist,  who  has  for  many  years  had 
charge  of  the  museum  ;  and  to  whose  courtesy  and  good  nature 
we  were  much  indebted.  The  collections  illustrative  of  South 
American  ornithologj-  and  ethnology  were  particularly  fine.  The 
herbarium  seemed  to  be  very  e.xtensive,  and   was  so  excellently 


Sania  Lucia.  91 

arranged  as  to  afford  ready  access  to  any  groups  of  specimens. 
In  the  spacious  hall  devoted  to  this  department,  we  saw  a  section 
of  a  beech  tree  from  Magellan  which  was  more  than  seven  feet 
in  diameter,  and  the  silicified  trunk  of  a  tree  fifty  centimetres  in 
diameter,  which  had  been  found  near  Santa  Barbara.  The  mam- 
malian collection  included  two  specimens  of  the  Huemul  {Cerviis 
Chilcnsis),  one  of  which  was  said  to  be  the  original  figured  by 
Gay  in  his  "Historia  Physica  y  Politica  de  Chile."  Among  the 
human  crania  were  some  very  curious  specimens  illustrating  the 
extremes  of  dolicocephaly  and  brachjxephaly.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  subsidy  voted  by  the  Chilian  government  for 
the  maintenance  of  this  admirable  museum  does  not  exceed  ;^ioo 
a  year,  and  Dr.  Phillipi  may  well  be  congratulated  on  the  results 
of  his  self-sacrificing  labours. 

About  the  centre  of  the  town  of  Santiago  is  a  remarkable  hill 
called  Santa  Lucia,  whose  summit  affords  a  very  extended  view. 
It  is  a  mass  of  columnar  basalt  rising  abruptly  from  the  plain  to 
a  height  of  about  300  feet,  and  presenting  on  all  sides  boldly 
scarped  faces  in  which  several  flights  of  stone  steps  have  been 
ingeniously  cut,  so  as  to  lead  by  various  labyrinthine  routes  to  the 
summit.  We  made  the  ascent  towards  the  close  of  daj-,  and  were 
well  repaid  for  our  trouble  by  the  really  magnificent  view.  The 
town  lay  extended  at  our  feet  with  its  various  buildings  and 
monuments  standing  up  in  bold  relief.  As  we  raised  our  eyes,  its 
outskirts  dwindled  into  the  broad  plain  of  Santiago  valley,  which 
here  seemed  to  form  an  immense  amphitheatre,  surrounded  in  the 
distance  by  a  chain  of  lofty  hills  whose  snowcapped  summits  were 
at  this  hour  illumined  with  the  lovely  roseate  colours  so  charac- 
teristic of  sunset  in  the  Cordilleras. 

On  the  following  day  we  visited  the  site  of  the  church  of  La 
Compania,  where  the  fire  took  place  in  the  year  1863,  when  some 
2,000  people,  mostly  women,  were  burnt  to  death.  The  church 
was  never  rebuilt,  but  in  its  place  now  stands  a  handsome  bronze 
monument  to  commemorate  the  victims  of  this  dreadful  calamity. 


52  Cruise  of  ihc  ''Alerts 

Immediately  adjoining  arc  the  splendid  buildings  in   which   the 
sittings  of  congress  arc  held. 

The  morning  of  our  return  was  cold  and  frosty,  and  the  plain 
of  Santiago  was  enveloped  in  a  dense  mist,  from  which  we  did 
not  emerge  until  the  train  had  entered  the  mountain  valleys, 
through-which  it  wound  towards  the  heights  of  Montenegro.  Here 
we  rose  above  the  gloomy  mists,  and  were  gladdened  bj-  the 
bright  and  warm  raj's  of  a  sun  whose  beams  were  as  yet  screened 
from  the  lowlands.  Wild  ducks  were  to  be  seen  in  the  marshes 
near  the  railways,  scarcely  disturbed  by  the  passage  of  the  train  ; 
flocks  of  doves  rose  from  the  bushes  here  and  there ;  owls  hovered 
about  in  a  scared  sort  of  way,  as  if  ashamed  of  being  seen  out  in 
the  honest  sunlight ;  and  on  many  a  tree  top  was  perched  a 
solitarj'  buzzard  or  vulture.  Later  in  the  forenoon  small  flocks  of 
the  military  starlings  wcic  frequently  sighted,  their  brilliant  scarlet 
plumage  showing  to  great  advantage  against  the  pale  green  bushes 
of  the  hill  sides.  After  passing  the  summit  level  we  rattled  down 
the  incline  towards  Llallai,  at  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  very 
high  speed.  I  kept  looking  out  of  the  window  at  first,  watching 
the  engine  disappearing  from  sight  as  it  suddenly  swept  round  an 
abrupt  curve  and  entered  a  cutting,  and  admiring  the  wriggling 
of  the  train  as  it  swiftly  threaded  its  w-ay  in  and  out  among  the 
liills.  Sometimes  our  route  would  seem  to  lead  us  into  a  cul-de- 
sac  of  the  hills,  and  when  apparently  almost  at  the  end  of  it,  the 
engine  would  abruptly  alter  her  course  and  sweep  away  in  a 
direction  nearly  at  right  angles  to  its  former  course,  dragging  the 
docile  and  flexible  chain  of  carriages  away  with  it.  I  had  missed 
all  this  on  the  upward  journey — I  suppose  because  our  slower 
speed  then  made  curves  and  cuttings  look  less  alarming.  After 
a  while,  I  began  to  reflect  on  the  probable  consequences  of  our 
suddenly  coming  upon  a  flock  of  heavy  cattle  in  one  of  these 
nasty  cuttings,  and  the  more  I  pondered  the  more  I  became 
convinced  that  although  the  cow-catcher  of  our  engine  was  well 
able  to  cope  with  a  single  bullock  or  even  two,  yet  that  in  the 


Floral  Fly-traps — 3Tines  of  Brillador.  93 

case  of  our  colliding  with  a  flock  of  half-a-dozen  or  so,  somcthinfj 
unpleasant  must  surely  happen.  This  was  not  a  cheering  subject 
of  thought,  so  I  turned  away  from  the  window  and  tried  to 
interest  myself  in  the  contents  of  a  Chilian  newspaper.  A  few  days 
previously,  I  heard  that  a  single  bullock  had  been  met  with  on 
this  same  incline,  and  had  been  satisfactorily  accounted  for  by  the 
"cow-catcher."  The  body  was  smashed  to  pieces  and  thrown  off 
the  track,  but  the  people  in  the  train  (one  of  whom  was  my 
informant)  experienced  only  a  very  slight  shock.  Ac  Llallai  station 
we  stopped  for  breakfast,  for  which  the  cold  air  of  the  morning 
had  sufficiently  prepared  us,  and  in  the  afternoon  wc  arrived 
comfortably  at  Valparaiso. 

We  again  stayed  at  Coquimbo  from  the  23rd  to  the  30th  of 
August,  having  been  obliged  to  return  there  on  account  of  a 
court-martial.  The  appearance  of  the  country  had  changed  very 
much  since  our  previous  visit.  Bare  tracts  of  sand  had  given 
place  to  an  uniform  coating  of  verdure,  and  a  great  variety  of 
flowering  plants  were  visible  in  full  bloom.  There  was  a  species 
of  Aristolochia  very  common  on  the  rocky  hills,  whose  large 
pitcher-shaped  perianth  frequently  imprisoned  a  number  of  flies 
of  different  species,  and  I  found  that  I  could  add  materially  to 
my  entomological  collection  by  examining  these  plants,  and 
despoiling  them  of  their  living  prey,  for  most  of  the  pitchers 
contained  living  flies,  and  some  of  them  the  remains  of  insects 
apparently  in  a  half-digested  state.  This  flower  constitutes  a 
very  effectual  fly-trap ;  and  I  once  noticed  a  great  bluebottle- 
fly  endeavouring  in  vain  to  work  his  way  over  the  "  chevau.x- 
de-frise  "  of  white  hairs,  which,  with  their  ends  pointing  inwards, 
studded  the  interior  of  the  tube. 

During  this  stay  I  made  a  trip  to  the  copper  mines  of 
Brillador,  which  are  worked  in  connection  with  the  smelting 
houses  at  Compaiiia.  Both  establishments  are  the  property 
of  Mr.  Lambert,  an  English  gentleman  residing  at  Swansea, 
whose  Chilian    manager   is    Mr.  Weir,  to  whom   I   have   already 


94  Cruise  of  the  '' Alert r 

alluded.  I  went  by  train  to  Compania,  which  is  the  terminus 
of  that  branch  of  the  line,  and  spent  the  night  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Weir,  by  whose  kind  invitation  I  was  enabled  to 
make  this  interesting  e.KCursion.  On  the  following  morning  we 
started  on  horseback,  and  rode  over  the  hills  to  Brillador.  The 
mines  are  eight  miles  distant  from  Compania,  and  are  situated 
at  an  elevation  of  1,500  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Here  we 
put  ourselves  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Richards,  the  courteous 
engineer,  who  clothed  us  in  canvas  mining  suits,  and  supplied 
each  of  us  with  an  oil  lamp  hung  on  gimbals  at  the  extremity 
of  a  long  stick;  and  thus  equipped  we  entered  one  of  the  adit 
levels  opening  on  to  a  steep  hillside,  and  bade  adieu  for  some 
Jiours  to  the  friendly  daylight.  One  of  the  peculiarities  of  a 
Chilian  mine  is  that  the  ordinary  ladder  of  civilization  is  replaced 
by  a  notched  pole,  and  that,  by  means  of  a  succession  of  these 
poles,  the  descent  and  ascent  of  the  shaft  of  the  mine  is  accom- 
plished. Another  is  that  the  ore  is  conveyed  from  the  works 
at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  in  sacks  of  hide,  each  man  thus 
carrj-ing  on  his  shoulders  the  enormous  weight  of  200  lbs.  The 
miners  whom  I  saw  employed  in  this  work  were  naked  to  the 
waist,  and  exhibited  splendid  muscular  development  of  chest 
and  arm.  I  examined  one  of  the  sacks  of  ore,  and  found  that 
I  could  barely  raise  it  off  the  ground.  These  fine  athletic 
fellows  are  fed  principally  upon  maize,  figs,  and  bread,  few  of 
them  eating  meat.  Three  kinds  of  copper  ore  are  found  in 
this  mine.  Near  the  surface  is  a  light  green  carbonate  of  copper 
which  is  easily  smelted,  and  when  rich  in  metal  {i£.  free  from 
extraneous  mineral  matter)  is  in  much  request ;  but  even  when 
of  low  percentage  it  can  be  advantageously  used  for  the  manu- 
facture of  sulphate  of  copper.  Ne.xt  in  order  of  depth  is  found 
a  purple  ore,  which  is  a  double  sulphide  of  copper  and  iron  ; 
and  at  the  bottom  of  the  lode  is  the  yellow  sulphide  of  copper, 
commonly  known  in  Chili  as  "  bronce."  Here  we  saw  a  most 
ingenious  "rock  drill,"  working  at  the  end  of  a  new  level  cutting. 


A  Rock-Diill.  95 

The  apparatus,  which  is  simple  and  most  effective,  consists  of 
a  solid  piston  working  in  a  very  strong  cylinder  and  driven  to 
and  fro  by  compressed  air,  whose  action  is  regulated  by  a  slide 
valve.  The  drill  is  fitted  directly  into  the  end  of  the  piston 
rod,  and  by  an  ingenious  arrangement  it  is  made  to  perforin  a 
partial  movement  of  rotation  during  each  backward  motion,  so 
that  it  may  strike  the  rock  in  a  new  direction  each  time.  The 
working  pressure  of  air  was  50  lbs.  per  square  inch.  We  noted 
the  time  while  a  boring  was  being  made,  and  found  that  it  took 
exactly  nine  minutes  to  make  a  hole  nine  inches  deep,  through 
the  hard  rock.  The  power  is  originated  by  a  double-acting 
steam-engine,  situated  at  the  inner  extremity  of  the  main  adit 
level,  from  whence  a  supply  of  compressed  air  is  convejxd  in 
flexible  pipes  along  the  various  tunnels  in  which  boring  is  being 
done.  In  subsequently  blasting  the  rock,  gunpowder  is  used  in 
preference  to  dynamite  or  other  explosives,  I  believe  on  account 
of  the  toughness  of  the  ore,  which  therefore  yields  more  satis- 
factorily to  a  comparatively  gradual  explosive.  In  the  evening 
we  rode  back  to  Mr.  Weir's  residence  at  Compaiiia,  and  on  the 
following  day  I  returned  on  board  the  ship,  which  weighed  anchor 
the  same  afternoon,  and  proceeded  southward  towards  Talcahuano. 
Talcahuano,  where  we  lay  from  the  4th  of  September  to  the 
4th  of  October,  is  the  most  important  seaport  in  southern  Chili, 
and  possesses  an  excellent  and  roomy  anchorage.  It  is  situated 
in  a  fertile  and  picturesque  country  ;  and  it  is  in  direct  com- 
munication by  rail,  not  only  with  Conccpcion  and  all  the  more 
important  towns  of  the  south  and  central  provinces,  but  also  by 
branch  line  with  an  extensive  grain-producing  territory  bordering 
on  Araucania,  whose  produce  it  receives.  Conccpcion,  which 
takes  rank  as  the  third  city  in  the  Republic,  is  nine  miles  from 
Talcahuano,  and  lies  on  the  bank  of  the  15io  Bio,  a  broad,  siiallow, 
and  sluggish  river.  The  houses  and  public  buildings  there  have 
the  appearance  of  considerable  antiijuity,  although  in  reality  the 
greater  number  must  have  been  rebuilt  since  the  great  earthquake 


96  Cndse  of  the  '' Alert r 

of  1835,  when  the  city  was  reduced  to  ruins.  Penco,  tlie  old 
Spanish  capital  of  the  province  of  Conccpcion,  was  situated  in 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Bay  of  Concepcion  ;  but  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  a  tidal  wave  in  1730,  tlie  people  moved  inland 
and  established  themselves  near  the  site  of  the  present  city. 
However,  by  the  cataclysm  of  175 1,  the  newly-founded  city  of 
Concepcion  shared  the  fate  of  Penco,  but  was  soon  rebuilt,  as  it 
was  again,  in  great  part,  after  the  earthquake  of  1835. 

We  had  intended  to  make  only  a  short  stay  at  Talcahuano, 
but  on  the  day  preceding  our  arrival  there,  a  case  of  smallpox 
appeared  among  the  crew,  followed  by  a  second  and  third,  and 
we  were  therefore  obliged  to  remain  in  this  harbour  until  our 
patients  should  be  sufficiently  well  to  return  on  board. 

There  was  a  long,  low,  sandy  island  (Isla  dc  los  Reyes)  lying 
across  the  head  of  Talcahuano  Bay,  and  inhabited  only  by  a 
couple  of  shepherds  who  were  looking  after  a  herd  of  cattle 
and  horses.  There  being  no  available  hospital  to  which  our 
patients  could  be  sent,  we  obtained  leave  from  the  Chilian  autho- 
rities to  establish  a  temporary  quarantine  station  on  the  island. 
Accordingly,  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  we  set  up  tents  on  an 
unfrequented  and  particularly  airy  part  of  the  island,  and  having 
supplied  them  with  provisions  and  all  the  necessary  ap[)liances, 
we  installed  our  patients  in  their  new  quarters.  They  made 
good  recoveries.  My  medical  duties  required  me  to  make 
frequent  visits  to  this  little  establishment,  and  I  found  it  con- 
venient to  make  it  the  centre  of  my  afternoon  rambles.  On 
the  mainland  immediately  adjoining  the  island,  I  found  a  great 
marshy  plain  of  many  miles  in  extent,  and  intersected  in  various 
directions  by  deep  muddy  ditches  which  communicated  with  the 
sea,  and  at  high  tide  brought  supplies  of  sea  water  to  a  chain  of 
broad,  shallow  lagoons,  the  home  of  multitudes  of  waterfowl. 
Pintail  ducks,  widgeon,  herons,  curlew,  flamingoes,  turkey-buz- 
zards, gulls,  lapwings,  and  sandpipers  found  here  a  congenial 
h)me.     The   shriil,  harsh  cry   of  the   spur-winged    lapwing  (the 


Home  of  tlie    Watcr-Birds — The  "■  Coypoy  97 

"  terotero "  of  the  Pampas  so  graphically  described  by  Darwin) 
was  for  ever  scaring  the  other  peacefully-disposed  birds,  and  at 
the  same  time  invoking  maledictions  from  the  sportsman.  The 
plumage  of  this  bird  is  very  handsome,  and  the  bright  crimson 
colour  of  the  iris  and  eyelid  during  life  gave  it  a  strange  fasci- 
nating appearance,  which  can  hardly  be  realized  from  a  stuffed 
specimen. 

When  the  first  ebb  of  the  tide  left  bare  the  mudbanks  in  the 
lagoons,  the  gulls  and  curlews  collected  in  vast  numbers  for 
their  diurnal  meal.  Of  the  gulls  only  three  kinds  were  seen, 
viz.,  L.  Doininicanus,  L.  Glaucodes,  and  L.  Macitlipeiinis.  The  latter 
were  in  various  conditions  of  plumage  ;  some  birds  having  a  deep 
black  hood,  and  others  with  a  head  almost  entirely  white,  while 
between  these  two  extremes,  there  was  every  gradation.  The 
turkey-buzzards  derived  a  plentiful  supply  of  food  from  the 
bodies  of  fish  stranded  on  the  beach.  For  some  reason  or  other 
dogfish  were  constantly  coming  to  grief  in  this  way,  bodies  of 
fish,  two  and  three  feet  long,  being  met  with  sometimes,  all  along 
the  beach,  at  average  distances  of  about  one  hundred  yards 
apart. 

One  day  we  made  an  excursion  up  the  river  Andalicn,  which 
flows  into  Talcahuano  Bay,  near  the  village  of  Penco,  and  which 
at  high  tide  is  navigable  for  boats  to  a  distance  of  seven  miles 
from  its  mouth.  Our  main  object  was  to  see  something  of  the 
nutria — a  large  rodent  {Myopotauuis  coypii),  which  is  common  in 
some  of  the  rivers  of  southern  Chili,  and  which  the  natives  call 
"  Coypo."  In  a  deep,  narrow,  ditch-like  tributary  of  the  Andalien, 
we  came  across  several  of  these  animals,  swimming  and  diving 
about,  some  half-immersed  clumps  of  bushes.  At  first  sight  their 
manner  of  swimming  and  diving  would  lead  one  to  imagine  that 
they  were  otters,  but  on  closer  inspection  the  broad  muzzle  with 
its  long  bristly  whiskers,  and  foxy-red  hair,  reveal  their  true  cha- 
racter. The  "  coypo  "  is  distinguished  from  its  northern  ally,  the 
beaver,  in  having  the  scaly  tail  round  instead  of  flat,  and  from  the 

7 


98  Cruise  of  the  "  Akrt" 

Chilian  river  o<tcr,  the  "  huillin  "  {Lntia  litiidobrio),  it  is  easily 
known  by  its  dental  characters  as  well  as  by  its  tail  and  feet. 
The  hind  feet  arc  webbed  as  in  the  beaver.  I  dissected  one 
which  we  shot,  and  found  the  stomach  full  of  green  vegetable 
matter,  and  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  which  was  a  good  deal 
injured  by  the  shot,  were  fragments  of  a  large  tapeworm.  This 
specimen  weighed  lO  lbs.,  and  measured  2  ft.  10  in.  from  snout 
to  extremity  of  tail. 

Some  days  subsequently  I  accompanied  Captain  Maclear  on 
a  railway  trip  up  the  country,  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  superintendent 
of  the  line,  having,  with  the  courtesy  so  characteristic  of  English 
residents  in  Chili,  invited  the  captain  and  one  other  officer  to 
join  him  in  a  tour  of  inspection  which  he  was  about  to  make 
along  the  Angol  branch  of  the  South  Chilian  railway.  We 
started  from  Concepcion  at  9  a.m.,  on  a  small  locomotive  which 
was  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  superintendent.  It  was  a  lightly 
built  affair,  partly  "  housed  in"  and  partly  open,  and  was  fitted 
to  accommodate  two  or  three  passengers  besides  the  driver  and 
fireman,  so  that  it  afforded  us  an  exceedingly  pleasant  method  of 
seeing  something  of  the  country.  This  swift  little  vehicle  was 
called  the  "Quillapan,"  in  commemoration  of  a  distinguished  native 
chief  of  that  name.  Our  driver  was  a  most  intelligent  and  well- 
informed  Englishman  named  Clark,  who  had  lo.st  his  foot  about 
three  years  previously  in  a  railway  accident,  at  which  I  understood 
that  Lady  Brassey,  of  the  Sunbeam,  had  been  present ;  and  he 
spoke  gratefully  of  the  kind  attention  which  she  paid  to  him.  His 
wooden  leg  did  not  seem  to  be  much  impediment  to  his  engine- 
driving,  for  he  rattled  us  along  round  curves  and  down  inclines  at 
a  speed  which,  while  possessing  all  the  charms  of  novelty,  had  also 
in  no  small  degree  the  excitement  of  danger.  However,  we  soon 
got  used  to  this,  as  well  as  to  the  jumping  and  jolting  of  the  light 
little  engine. 

For  the  first  ten   miles  after  leaving  Concepcion,  our  route  lay 
along  the  right  or  northerly  bank   of  the  Bio  Bio  ri\er.      Here 


The  Banks  of  the  Bio-Bio.  99 

most  of  the  railway  cuttings  were  through  a  clayslate  roclc,  which 
alternated  with  bands  of  black  shale,  and  occasionally  exhibited 
thin  seams  of  coal.  Further  on,  and  throughout  the  rest  of  the 
journey  to  Angol,  the  cuttings  were  through  banks  of  sand  exhi- 
biting horizontal  stratification,  and  being  apparently  of  fluviatile 
origin.  A  run  cf  two  hours  brought  us  to  the  junction  station 
of  San  Roscndo,  from  whence  the  northerly  line  to  Cliillan, 
Talca,  and  Santiago,  and  the  S.E.  Hne  to  Angol  diverge.  Here 
we  breakfasted,  and  stretched  our  legs  by  a  stroll.  Immediately 
on  resuming  our  journey  we  crossed  the  Lara, — a  tributary  01 
the  Bio  Bio, — and  then  continued  our  course  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  main  river,  until  we  had  just  passed  the  station  o\ 
Santa  Fe.  Here  the  line  made  a  short  semicircular  sweep,  and 
crossed  the  Bio  Bio  by  a  low  wooden  bridge  of  about  two  hundred 
yards  in  length.  Clark,  the  driver,  told  us  that  during  freshets  the 
water  rose  about  fifteen  feet  above  this  bridge,  completely  stopping 
the  traffic.  On  asking  him  why  they  did  not  build  a  strong 
high  level  britlge,  he  replied  that  a  rude  wooden  structure  such 
as  the  present  one  cost  little,  and  when  swept  away  could  be 
readily  and  cheaply  replaced  ;  but  that  a  bridge  of  durable  style 
would  take  too  long  to  pay  the  cost  of  its  own  construction. 
This  explanation  may  not  at  first  sight  seem  very  lucid,  but  it 
is  worthy  of  consideration,  for  the  principle  which  it  involves  is, 
I  fancy,  applicable  to  many  of  the  affairs  of  Chili. 

We  had  now  entered  the  great  central  valley  of  the  ccuntr}-, 
a  broad  plateau  interposed  between  the  coast  range  and  the 
Cordillera,  and  extending  in  one  unbroken  sheet  of  fertile  land 
from  here  to  Santiago.  Before  us  now,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
penetrate,  lay  a  straight  level  track,  so  Mr.  Clark  turned  the 
steam  full  on,  and  the  "Quillapan"  responded  to  the  tune  of  forty- 
five  miles  an  hour.  When  about  a  mile  or  two  from  a  desolate 
station  called  "  Robleria,"  we  were  rapidly  approaching  a  long 
wooden  bridge,  when  we  saw  a  man  appear  on  the  track  just 
on   our   side    of  the    bridge,   and    step   leisurely    from    sleeper   to 


lOO  Cruise  of  the  ''AUrt''' 

sleeper.  On  hearing  our  whistle  he  looked  round  in  a  startled 
altitude;  but  to  our  astonishment,  instead  of  jumping  to  one 
side  of  the  line,  he  lost  his  head,  and  passing  on  to  the  bridge 
made  frantic  efforts  to  cross  before  our  engine  came  up.  The 
bridge  was  an  open  framework,  consisting  simply  of  wooden  piles, 
spanbcams,  and  sleepers,  and  was  so  narrow  that  there  was  no 
room  for  a  foot-passenger  at  either  side  of  a  passing  train.  The 
wretched  man's  misery  must  have  been  extreme,  for  as  he  crossed 
the  bridge  he  had  to  jump  continually  from  sleeper  to  sleeper, 
and  could  not  of  course  look  back  again  behind  him  to  see  how 
things  were  going  on.  It  was  a  moment  of  intense  suspense  to 
us  also,  for  it  was  now  too  late  to  stop  the  engine,  Clark  not 
having  calculated  on  the  man  attempting  to  cross  before  us. 
However,  he  gained  the  off  buttress  of  the  bridge  just  in  time 
to  throw  himself  down  a  bank  on  one  side  of  the  line,  while  the 
"Quillapan"  sped  on  like  a  whirlwind. 

We  reached  the  Angol  terminus  at  1.30  p.m.,  and  on  coming 
to  a  standstill,  found  ourselves  the  centre  of  a  small  admiring 
crowd,  consisting  of  Chilian  peasants  and  Araucanian  Indians. 
The  latter  wore  very  scanty  clothing,  in  which  the  only  dis- 
tinctive feature  which  I  noticed  was  a  band  of  red  cloth  tied 
round  the  forehead  and  occiput.  In  stature  and  regular  features 
they  somewhat  resembled  the  Chilians,  but  their  distinctl)- coppery 
colour  marked  them  out  at  once.  Angol  is  now  one  of  the 
frontier  settlements  established  recently  by  the  Chilian  Govern- 
ment in  Araucanian  territory,  and  it  is  fortified  against  the  maraud- 
ing expeditions  of  these  hardy  warriors  by  a  chain  of  forts  which 
overlook  the  settlement,  and  are  garrisoned  by  regular  Chilian 
troops.  The  district  is  of  great  value,  on  account  of  the  richness 
of  the  soil  and  its  suitability  for  the  cultivation  of  wheat,  which 
has  now  become  the  staple  article  of  commerce  in  the  southern 
provinces  of  the  Republic.  Our  stay  at  Angol  was,  unfortunately, 
very  short,  as  the  station-master  told  us  that  a  train  due  at  Angol 
that  afternoon  was  even  then  telegraphed  as  waiting  at  one  of  the 


Bullocks  on  the  Line.  loi 

upper  stations  until  our  return,  when  the  line  would  be  clear  for 
it  to  move  on. 

On  our  journey  back  we  narrowly  escaped  colliding  seriously  with 
a  herd  of  bullocks.  We  had  just  passed  Robleria,  when  we  noticed 
some  distance  ahead  of  us  a  solitary  bullock  standing  quietly  on 
the  line.  On  the  whistle  being  sounded  he  at  once  left  the  track, 
so  that  the  steam,  which  had  been  momentarily  turned  off,  was 
again  put  on,  and  the  engine  resumed  her  usual  speed.  We  had 
now  approached  to  within  forty  yards  of  the  place  where  the 
animal  had  been,  when  suddenly  from  a  dense  clump  of  bushes 
to  the  right  there  emerged  a  herd  of  half-a-dozen  bullocks,  who 
with  one  accord  began  leisurely  to  cross  the  line.  Quick  as  thought 
Clark  with  one  hand  turned  on  the  whistle,  while  with  the  other 
he  reversed  the  engine,  leaving  the  steam  valve  wide  open  ;  and 
immediately  there  was  a  great  rattle  of  machinery  below  the 
platform,  and  the  engine  checked  her  way  considerably.  And 
now  at  the  last  moment,  and  when  the  cattle  seemed  to  be  almost 
under  the  buffers  of  the  engine,  they,  suddenly  coming  to  a  sense 
of  their  danger,  scattered,  and  sheered  off ;  but  not  quickly  enough 
to  prevent  one  unlucky  animal  being  caught  by  the  hind  quarters 
and  chucked  off  like  a  football,  its  body  rolling  down  the  embank- 
ment to  the  left  in  a  cloud  of  dust  as  we  whirled  by.  Clark 
coolly  replaced  the  reversing  lever,  and  let  the  engine  rush  ahead 
again  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  He  remarked  that  if  he  had 
been  on  one  of  the  regular  big  engines  he  would  not  have  bothered 
himself  about  the  beasts  at  all,  but  that  half-a-dozen  bullocks  were 
rather  too  much  for  the  little  "  Ouillapan." 

Another  trip  which  wc  made  was  to  the  Island  of  Quiriquina, 
which  lies  in  the  entrance  of  the  bay  at  about  five  miles'  distance 
from  the  anchorage  of  Talcahuano.  An  hour's  run  in  the  steam 
cutter  brought  us  near  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island,  where 
we  landed  with  difficulty  in  the  Bay  of  Las  Tablas.  This  name 
has  reference  to  the  tabular  form  of  the  blocks  of  sandstone  which 
have  fallen  from  the  face  of  the  cliffs  and  lie  strewn  on  the  beach, 


I02  Cruise  of  the  '' Alert r 

in  which  position  they  resembled  the  blocks  of  concrete  which  one 
often  sees  near  a  pier  or  breakwater  in  course  of  construction. 
Close  to  where  we  landed  we  found  portions  of  the  silicified  trunk  of 
a  tree,  resting  on  the  debris  at  tlic  foot  of  the  cliff,  its  fractured  ends 
exhibiting  a  jagged  appearance,  as  if  the  fragment  had  not  long 
previously  been  broken  from  the  parent  stem.  It  was  two  and  a  half 
feet  long  by  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  presented  well-marked  sections 
of  the  concentric  rings  of  growth.  In  one  of  the  rock  pools  closely 
adjoining  we  found  also  a  smaller  water-worn  fragment,  which  we 
were  able  to  annex  as  a  specimen.  The  sandstone  cl iff  above  us 
exhibited  well-marked  lines  of  stratification,  dipping  to  the  south- 
ward at  an  angle  of  about  1 5°,  and  in  the  talus  at  its  base  were 
sc\eral  large  globular  masses,  which  consi.'ted  almost  entirely  of 
fo.ssil  shells,  bound  together  by  a  matrix  of  soft  cla\cy  sandstone. 
Conspicuous  among  these  shells  were  examples  of  the  genera 
Baculitcs  and  CnrJiiiin.  While  the  lowest  rock  in  the  series  of 
strata  was  a  hard  grey  sandstone,  full  of  fossil  shells,  and  forming 
a  kind  of  level  terrace  skirting  the  beach,  and  a  wash  at  high  tide, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  bay  this  last-mentioned  rock  was  con- 
tinuous with  another  horizontal  terrace,  which  ran  at  a  somewhat 
higher  level,  as  if  introduced  there  by  a  fault  in  the  strata.  It 
was  a  coarse,  unfossilifcrous  conglomerate,  composed  of  angular 
pieces  of  shingle  bound  together  by  a  hard  but  very  scanty  matrix. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OUR   SECOND   SEAS02'J  IN  PATAGONfAN  WATERS. 

ON  the  evening  of  the  4th  October,  our  small-pox  patients 
being  then  sufficiently  well  to  return  on  board,  we  sailed 
from  Talcahuano,  and  proceeded  to  the  southward  in  order  to 
resume  our  surve}-ing  work  in  the  Trinidad  and  Conccpcion 
channels. 

We  entered  the  Gulf  of  Peiias  on  the  afternoon  of  the  9th 
October,  and  as  it  was  a  clear,  bright,  sunshiny  day,  we  had  a 
good  view  of  Cape  Tres  Montes,  which  forms  the  northern  horn 
of  the  gulf,  while  ahead  of  us,  and  towards  the  S.E.  bight,  lay  the 
Sombrero,  Wager,  and  Byron  Islands,  the  first  of  which  marks 
the  entrance  of  the  Messier  Channel.  When  we  had  got  fairly 
inside  this  channel,  a  Fuegian  canoe  of  the  customary  pattern 
was  seen  approaching  from  the  western  shore.  We  stopped  to 
allow  her  to  communicate  with  us,  and,  of  course,  the  usual  barter- 
ing of  skins  for  knives  and  tobacco  took  place  between  the  natives 
and  our  seamen.  There  were  about  twelve  persons  in  the  canoe, 
all  of  whom  looked  more  than  usually  plump  in  regard  to  theii 
bodies,  but  had  the  characteristically  stunted  legs  of  this  wandering 
race.  On  leaving  us  tbc)-  ap[)earcd  to  be  quite  sold  out,  and  were 
almost  entirely  naked,  some  of  them  completely  so;  however,  they 
seemed  well  pleased  with  the  bit  of  traffic  which  they  had  ac- 
complished. 


I04  Cruise  of  the  ''AUrtr 

W'c  ancliorcd  for  the  niglit  in  Island  Harbour.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  we  got  under  way  at  an  early  hour,  and  s'.eamed 
down  the  Messier  Channel  and  through  the  English  Narrows, 
reaching  Eden  Harbour  about  dusk. 

We  passed  several  small  icebergs,  which  had  probably  reached 
the  channels  from  a  glacier  in  Iceberg  Sound.  The  largest  was 
about  twenty  yards  across,  and  projected  about  six  feet  above  the 
surface.  Most  of  the  hills  in  this  latitude  were  snow-clad  as  far 
as  the  1,000  feet  line. 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  the  1 1  th  October,  we  reached 
the  Trinidad  Channel,  and  established  ourselves  for  a  time  at 
Cockle  Cove,  an  anchorage  on  the  south  shore  of  this  channel, 
of  which  the  survey  was  as  yet  incomplete. 

It  was  now  spring  time  on  the  west  coast  of  Patagonia,  but  the 
weather  v.-as  as  chilly  and  wet  as  it  had  been  in  the  autumn  of  the 
pre\ious  year,  when  we  were  moving  north  towards  our  winter 
quarters  ;  indeed,  from  the  accounts  furnished  to  us  by  the  sealers, 
as  well  as  from  our  own  experience,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
there  are  no  marked  seasonal  changes  in  the  weather  on  the 
west  coast,  whither  the  constant  westerly  winds  are  continually 
delivering  the  burden  of  aqueous  vapour  which  they  accumulate 
in  their  passage  over  the  Southern  Ocean.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  condition  of  the  fauna  and  flora  indicate  the  natural  two-fold 
di\ision  of  the  year  as  decisively  as  it  is  obscr\-ed  in  the  same 
latitude  in  the  northern  hemisphere. 

In  the  month  of  October  at  Cockle  Cove  the  kelp  geese  and 
steamer-ducks  were  preparing  their  nests,  and  the  cormorants  were 
assembling  at  their  rookeries  ;  the  holly-leaved  berberry  {Bcibais 
ilicifolid)  was  already  displaying  its  gorgeous  clusters  of  globular 
orange  flowers,  and  the  giant  creeper  {Cavipsidiuvi  chilense)  was 
also  in  bloom,  its  scarlet  bell-shaped  flowers  peeping  from  aloft 
among  the  branches  of  the  beech-trees,  where  they  appear  to  seek 
a  position  in  which  they  may  flourish  safe  from  intrusion.  Many 
of  the  mosses  and  jnngermannia:  were  also  now  in  full  fruit. 


»rfi 


ll&Mm.  a./;.. 


^iv^  ^ 


Gephyrean.  1 05 

Wc  dredged  several  times  at  Cockle  Cove.  The  bottom  was 
muddy,  and  abounded  in  a  species  of  Jifactra,  which  the  men  were 
fond  of  eating;  and  as  they  commonly  called  these  shells  "cockles," 
the  anchorage  was  given  a  name  which  would  recall  the  memory 
of  these  much-esteemed  comestibles. 

We  also  obtained  numbers  of  a  pale  rose-coloured  GcpJiyrcan 
On  placing  one  of  these  creatures  in  a  globe  of  fresh  sea-water  it 
seemed  to  feel  quite  at  home,  protruding  its  tentacles  and  puffing 
out  its  worm-like  body  until  it  looked  like  a  tiny  jam-roll  with  a 
star-fish  attached  to  one  end.  These  tentacles,  which  are  eight  in 
number  and  surround  the  mouth,  are  each  one  provided  with  from 
eight  to  ten  finger-like  processes.  When  there  is  only  the  former 
number,  the  organ  looks  remarkably  like  a  hand,  and  the  resem- 
blance is  rendered  more  striking  when  the  tentacle  is  extended, 
and  grasps  some  minute  particles  in  the  water,  which  to  all  ap- 
pearance it  conveys  to  its  mouth.  The  usual  shape  assumed  by 
this  protean  animal  is  that  of  a  long  cylinder  with  rounded  ends, 
but  it  sometimes  shows  an  annular  construction  about  the  middle 
of  the  body,  and  sometimes  the  whole  anterior  half  of  the  body 
is  retracted  so  as  to  give  the  animal  a  telescopic  appearance. 
These  changes  of  shape  are  produced  by  the  action  of  two  distinct 
systems  of  contractile  fibres,  transverse  and  longitudinal,  the  fibres 
of  the  former  being  disposed  closely  together  like  minute  hoops, 
and  girding  the  body  from  end  to  end,  while  the  longitudinal  fibres 
are  arranged  in  five  broad  and  well-marked  equidistant  bands, 
which  extend  uninterruptedly  from  one  end  of  the  cylindrical 
body  to  the  other. 

One  night  a  small  petrel  flew  on  board,  into  one  of  the  hoistcd- 
up  boats,  where  it  was  found  by  one  of  the  seamen  in  the  usual 
apparently  helpless  state.  It  is  odd  that  some  species  of  the 
family  of  petrels  should  find  such  difficulty  about  rising  on  the 
wing  from  a  ship's  deck.  A  freshly-caught  Cape  pigeon,  placed 
on  its  legs  on  the  deck,  seems  to  forget  utterly  that  it  possesses 
the  power  of  flight,  and  does  not  even  attempt  to  use  its  wings, 


I06  Citiise  of  the  '' Alert r 

but  waddles  about  like  an  old  farmyard  duck.  The  petrel  above 
referred  to  was  the  little  diver  {Pelecanoides  iirinatrix),  a  bird  not 
uncommon  in  the  channels,  but  yet  vcrj-  difficult  to  obtain. 
During  the  previons  season  on  the  survcyinij  ground.  Sir  George 
Xares,  who  was  the  first  to  notice  it,  reported  one  daj-  that  he 
had  seen  one  of  his  old  arctic  friends,  the  "  little  auk,"  which 
indeed  in  its  habits  it  strongly  resembles.  It  usually  (at  all 
events  during  the  daytime)  sits  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
on  the  least  sign  of  danger  takes  a  long  dive  like  a  grebe,  and 
on  rising  to  the  surface  again  flies  away  some  few  hundred  yards, 
keeping  all  the  while  close  to  the  surface.  Its  flight  is  like  that 
of  the  grebe,  but  more  feeble.  In  the  Falkland  Islands  the 
habits  of  this  bird  arc  somewhat  different.  The  bill  is  peculiarly 
broad  and  of  a  dark  horn  colour,  the  breast  and  belly  of  a  dull 
grey,  and  the  upper  parts  black  ;  the  tarsi  and  feet  lavender. 
The  body  is  short  and  plump,  and  is  provided  with  dispropor- 
tionately short  wings.  Speaking  of  this  bird,  Mr.  Darwin  says 
that  it  "  offers  an  example  of  those  extraordinary  cases  of  a  bird 
evidently  belonging  to  one  well-marked  family,  yet  both  in  its 
habits  and  its  structure  allied  to  a  very  distant  tribe." 

There  was  a  "rookery"  of  the  rcd-cercd  cormorant  {P/iala- 
crocorax  viageltanicus)  near  Cockle  Cove,  but  the  nests  were 
placed  on  almost  inaccessible  ledges  in  the  face  of  the  rocky 
cliff,  which  was  streaked  all  over  with  vertical  white  lines  from 
the  droppings  of  the  birds.  This  species  of  cormorant  is  very 
abundant  throughout  all  the  channels.  A  second  species,  a  jet 
black  bird  {P/ilacrocorax  imperiatis),  builds  its  nest  in  trees ; 
and  there  was  a  characteristic  "rookery"  of  this  tree  cormorant 
at  Port  Ecrmejo,  where  we  anchored  in  the  month  of  November. 
It  was  in  a  quiet  sequestered  place,  where  two  oUl  ami  leafless 
beech  trees  overhung  the  margin  of  an  inland  pond.  The  nests 
were  constructed  of  dried  grass,  and  were  placed  among  the 
terminal  branches  of  the  trees.  These  funereal-looking  birds, 
sitting    on    or   perching    by   their    scraggy    nests    on     the    bare 


Habits  of  Connorant. — A  Kingfisher.  107 

superannuated  trees,  formed  a  truly  dismal  spectacle.  They  uttered, 
too,  a  peculiar  cawing  sound,  which  was  not  cheerful,  and  so 
remarkably  like  the  grunting  of  a  pig,  that  before  I  saw  the 
rookery  I  was  for  some  time  peeping  through  the  bushes  and 
looking  for  tracks,  imagining  myself  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
some  new  pachydermatous  animal.  It  seemed  as  if  the  birds 
took  the  grunting  business  by  turns,  only  one  at  a  time  giving 
tongue. 

I  was  surprised  to  see  how  neatly  they  alighted  on  the  branches. 
There  was  none  of  the  awkward  shuffling  motion  of  wings  and 
feet  which  they  exhibit  when  alighting  on  the  ground  or  on  the 
water  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  each  fresh  arrival  soared  on  to  its 
perching  place  as  smoothly  and  cleverly  as  a  hawk,  and  grasped 
the  branch  firmly  with  its  claws.  At  another  tree  rookery  in 
Swallow  Bay  I  noticed  that  when  some  of  the  birds  on  Hj-ing 
in  observed  my  presence,  they  would  rise  high  above  the  tree,  and 
remain  soaring  around  in  circles  till  I  had  gone  away.  The 
method  of  soaring  was  to  all  appearance  as  smootli,  steady,  and 
devoid  of  effort  as  that  of  a  vulture.  And  yet  the  cormorant  is  a 
heavy  short-winged  bird,  that  rises  from  the  ground  with  difficulty, 
and  whose  ordinary  method  of  flight  is  most  laborious. 

The  handsomest  bird  in  this  region  is  the  kingfisher  {Ccrylc 
steUatd).  It  is  commonly  to  be  seen  perched  on  some  withered 
branches  overhanging  the  water,  where  it  \\\\\  remain  in  a 
huddled-up  sleeping  attitude,  its  head  turned  sideways,  but  with 
an  eye  all  the  time  fi.xed  intently  on  the  water  beneath,  until 
it  espies  a  fish,  when  it  drops  like  a  stone,  cleaving  the  water 
with  a  short  sharp  splash,  and  a  moment  afterwards  emerges 
with  an  upward  impulse,  which  raises  it  clear  of  the  water,  and 
enables  it  to  fly  away  at  once  without  an}'  preliminary  shaking 
or  fluttering.  It  is  an  exceedingly  unsuspicious  and  fearle.'^s 
bird,  and  when  perched  on  its  place  of  obser\ation,  will  often 
allow  one  in  a  boat  to  approach  within  arm's  reach  of  ir.  Mossy 
banks    overhanging    low  sea    cliffs    are    its    usur'    nesting    placc-S 


io8  Cruise  of  the   "Alert." 

and  there  it  excavates  a  tunnel  through  the  soft  moss  and  turfy 
soil,  and  at  a  distance  of  more  than  two  feet  from  the  aperture 
forms  its  nesL 

There  is  a  very  peculiar  and  constant  feature  in  the  scenery 
of  the  woodlands  about  the  summits  of  the  low  hills,  which  has 
given  rise  to  much  speculation  amongst  us.  It  is  that  many  of 
the  rounded  bosses  of  syenite  rock,  which  project  for  a  few  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  swampy  land,  exhibit  on  their  highest 
parts  isolated  mossy  tufts,  which  look  at  a  little  distance  like 
small  piles  of  rubbish  placed  artificially  in  prominent  places  as 
landmarks,  or  like  the  marks  which  mountain  climbers  are  so 
fond  of  setting  up  on  rocky  pinnacles  as  records  of  their  feats. 
The  usual  shape  is  that  of  a  c)-linder  about  eighteen  inches  high, 
and  ten  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  rounded  top  ;  and  it  adheres  to 
the  rock  by  a  well-defined  base  of  matted  fibres.  It  is  composed 
of  a  verj'  compact  moss  {Tctraplodon  mnioiJcs),  which  is  of  a 
rich  green  colour  on  the  summit  of  the  tuft  when  it  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  whose  decaying  remains,  converted  into 
a  peaty  mould  entangled  in  a  fibrous  network  of  roots,  form  the 
body  and  base  of  the  tuft.  When  this  moss  is  in  fruit,  its  long 
spore-bearing  stalks,  which  rise  to  a  height  of  three  inches  above 
its  surface,  are  of  a  dark-red  colour  where  they  emerge  from  the 
green  surface,  this  colour  gradually  changing  into  a  beautiful 
golden-yellow  above,  where  the  spore-cases  are  supported.  It 
is  then  an  exceedingly  pretty  object.  If  one  of  these  tufts  be 
torn  away  from  its  rocky  foundation,  which  is  \cxy  easily  done, 
and  is  a  most  tempting  work  of  destruction,  a  white  scar  is  left 
on  the  rock  which  will  catch  the  eye  at  the  distance  of  a  mile, 
and  which  strongly  resembles  the  small  white-washed  marks 
set  up  on  the  coasts  by  our  survejors  for  shooting  theodolite 
angles  at.  Now  the  question  is,  why  does  the  moss  establish 
itself  in  this  peculiar  position,  on  the  otherwise  bare  and  exposed 
rock  .'  It  is  all  the  same  whether  the  rock  be  dome-shaped,  as 
it  most  commonly  is  on  the  low  hill-tops,  or  pyramidal,  or  wedge- 


Curious  HIoss  ayid  Strange  Bushes.  109 

shaped,  the  tuft — if  there  is  one  present — is  invariably  to  be 
found  perched  on  the  highest  part  of  it.  I  can  only  attribute 
this  to  the  pccuhar  habit  of  growth  of  the  moss,  adapting  it 
specially  to  this  shape  and  this  situation  ;  a  situation  to  which 
moreover  it  gives  a  decided  preference,  for  I  have  not  observed 
it  growing  elsewhere.  Sometimes  on  climbing  a  rocky  mountain 
hereabouts,  one  sees  from  afar  off  one  of  these  tufts  perched  on 
a  commanding  pinnacle  at  the  summit ;  then  one  thinks  that 
surely  this  must  be  a  cairn  erected  by  some  desolate  traveller,  and 
it  is  only  on  approaching  closely  that  the  delusion  vanishes.  It 
will  then,  perhaps,  be  found  that  the  tuft  stands  alone,  surrounded 
in  all  directions  by  a  sloping  surface  of  bare  rock  which  isolates 
it  by  a  radius  of  forty  yards  from  all  other  vegetation  ;  the  little 
tuft  bearing  itself  up  bravely  as  if  in  obstinate  defiance  of  the 
wind  and  rain,  which  one  is  at  first  inclined  to  think  must  have 
swept  away  an  old  uniform  mantle  of  vegetation  from  the  rocky 
surface,  leaving  the  mossy  tuft  on  the  summit  the  sole  survivor. 

There  is  another  peculiar  form  of  vegetable  growth  which  is  a 
characteristic  of  the  landscape  in  certain  parts  of  this  region,  and 
which  I  have  not  noticed  to  the  same  extent  elsewhere.  It  is  this. 
Whenever  a  mass  of  bushes  happens  to  be  exposed  to  the  prevail- 
ing westerly  wind,  as  in  the  case  of  promontories  which  receive 
the  unbroken  blast  on  one  of  their  sides,  or  of  exposed  islets  in 
mid-channel,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  bushes  not  only  lean  away 
permanently  from  the  direction  of  the  prevailing  wind  (as  is  usual 
everywhere),  but  that  their  summits  are  cut  off  evenly  to  a  com- 
mon plane  which  slopes  gently  upwards,  and  thus  presents  as 
trim  an  appearance  as  if  the  bushes  had  been  carefully  clipped  to 
that  shape  with  a  gardening  shears.  Our  surveying  parties  have 
sometimes  been  disappointed  at  finding  that  a  headland,  which 
seemed  from  a  short  distance  to  be  covered  with  an  inviting  mantle 
of  short  grass,  and  which  therefore  looked  a  convenient  place  on 
which  to  establish  an  observing  station,  was  in  reality  defended  by 
a  dense   grov.'th   of  bushes,  which   exhibited   the  phenomenon    in 


no  Cruise  of  the  ''Akrtr 

question,  and  over,  under,  or  through  which  it  was  ahnost  impos- 
sible to  get.  Sometimes  one  could  get  over  these  bushes  by 
lying  down  at  full  length  and  rolling  sideways  down  the  incline; 
but  this  method  was  objectionable,  for  it  was  sometimes  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  from  the  surface  to  the  hard  ground  beneath.  The 
reason  of  this  curious  growth  is  obvious  enough.  Each  aspiring 
leafy  twig  that  happens  by  a  too  luxuriant  growth  to  shoot 
above  its  fellows,  is  cut  down  by  the  relentless  blast  before  il 
can  acquire  strength  enough  to  make  good  its  footing ;  and 
those  branches  alone  survive  in  the  struggle  which  grow  uniformly 
with  their  neighbours,  and  which  thus  present  a  sufficiently  compact 
surface  to  withstand  the  blighting  influence  of  the  westerly  gales. 

One  day,  when  we  were  lying  at  our  old  anchorage  in  Tom 
Bay,  I  saw  a  cormorant  rise  to  the  surface  with  a  large  fish  in  its 
mouth,  which,  for  several  minutes,  it  vainly  attempted  to  swallow. 
I  noticed  it  chucking  the  fish  about  until  it  had  got  hold  of  it  by 
the  head,  but  even  then  it  seemed  unable  to  "strike  down"  the 
savoury  morsel.  A  flock  of  dominican  gulls  now  appeared  on 
the  scene,  and  seeing  the  state  of  affairs  at  once  swooped  down 
on  the  unlucky  cormorant,  but  the  wily  bird  discomfited  them  by 
diving  and  carrying  the  fish  with  it.  It  was  now  most  ludicrous 
to  witness  the  disappointed  appearance  of  the  gulls,  as  they  sat  in 
a  group  on  the  water  looking  foolishly  about,  and  apparently 
overcome  with  grief  at  their  inability  to  follow  up  the  chase  by 
diving.  After  an  interval  of  about  half-a-minute  the  cormorant 
reappeared  some  distance  off  with  the  fish  still  in  its  mouth,  and 
now  one  of  the  gulls  succeeded  at  last  in  snatching  the  fish  from 
its  grasp,  and  flew  away  with  it  rapidly  up  a  long  winding  arm  of 
the  sea.  At  this  critical  moment  a  skua  {Steicorarius  chilcnsis), 
hove  in  sight,  and  gave  chase  to  the  fugitive  gull,  until,  unfortu- 
nately, a  turn  in  the  creek  concealed  both  birds  from  our  sight, 
but  left  us  to  safely  conjecture  that  the  last  coiner  had  ultimately 
the  satisfaction  of  consuming  the  wretched  fish. 

I    have   often   wondered   at    the    apparently    stupid    manner   in 


Braoz  del  Norte.  \\\ 

which  long  files  of  cormorants  will  continue  on  their  course 
over  the  surface  of  the  water  without  deviating  so  as  to  avoid  a 
dangerous  locality  until  they  are  close  to  the  place  or  object  to  be 
avoided.  Many  persons  are  doubtless  familiar  with  the  appearance 
of  these  birds  as  they  fl)-  towards  a  boat  which  happens  to  lie  in 
their  route,  and  may  remember  the  startled  way  in  which,  when 
about  twenty  or  thirty  yards  off,  they  will  alter  their  course  with  a 
vigorous  swish  of  the  tail  and  sheer  off  confusedly  from  the  danger. 
Again,  how  eager  they  are  to  take  advantage  of  the  (probably) 
acuter  vision  of  terns  and  gulls,  when  they  observe  that  either  of  the 
latter  have  discovered  a  shoal  of  fish.  Is  it  not  therefore  probable 
that  cormorants  are  naturally  short-sighted  .' — a  disadvantage  for 
which  they  are  amply  compensated  by  their  superior  diving  powers. 

The  required  survey  of  the  Trinidad  Channel  was  completed 
by  the  middle  of  the  month  of  December  ;  but  before  leaving  this 
part  of  the  coast,  one  day  was  devoted  to  an  exploration  of  the 
"Brazo  del  Norte,"  a  sound  running  in  a  northerly  direction  from 
the  Trinidad  Channel,  and  piercing  the  so-called  Wellington  Island. 
We  got  under  way  from  Tom  Bay  early  in  the  morning,  and 
steaming  across  the  Trinidad  Channel,  entered  "  Brazo  del  Norte," 
and  explored  it  te  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles  from  the  entrance. 
We  were  then  obliged  to  turn  back  in  order  to  reach  Tom  Bay 
before  nightfall.  It  was  a  great  pity  that  time  did  not  permit  us 
to  trace  this  magnificent  Sound  to  its  northern  extremity  ;  for  so 
far  as  we  could  judge  there  seemed  every  probability  of  its  com- 
municating directly  with  the  Fallos  Channel,  which  is  known  to 
extend  southwards  from  the  Gulf  of  Pcnas  to  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  place  where  we  turned  back.  In  this  event  it  would  prove 
a  good  sheltered  route  for  vessels  using  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
and  if  free  from  the  objectionable  restrictions  which  close  the 
Messier  Channel  route  to  large  steamers,  would  be  used  not  only 
in  preference  to  it  but  to  Trinidad  Channel  itself,  whose  approach 
from  seaward  is  at  least  uninviting,  if  not  hazardous. 

On  leaving  Tom  Bay  we  moved  gradually  down  the  Concepcion 


112  Cncise  of  the  "Akrir 

and  Inoccntcs  Channels,  always  anchoring  for  the  night,  and 
sometimes  stopping  for  a  day  or  two  in  order  to  examine  some 
new  port. 

At  Latitude  Cove  a  black-necked  swan  {Cygnns  nigricollis) — 
besides  which  only  one  other  was  ever  seen  by  us  in  the  western 
channels — was  shot.  It  proved  to  be  a  male  bird,  weighing  only 
seven  pounds,  and  was  in  poor  condition,  having  strayed  far  from 
its  own  happy  hunting  grounds  among  the  lagoons  of  central 
Patagonia. 

We  anchored  at  Sandy  Point  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan  on  the 
2nd  January,  and  remained  there  eleven  days  in  order  to  provision 
the  ship,  and  to  give  the  crew  a  change  of  air. 

Here  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  master  of  a  sealing 
schooner,  an  intelligent  man  named  John  Stole — -a  Norwegian  by 
birth — from  whom  we  obtained  much  interesting  information 
about  the  natives  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  he 
was  laid  up  with  a  bad  leg,  on  account  of  which  he  had  had  to 
relinquish  the  command  of  his  vessel  the  Rescue  for  this  season's 
cruise.  His  favourite  sealing  ground  was  among  the  rocky  islets 
about  the  S.  \V.  parts  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  ;  but  in  the  course  of 
his  wanderings  he  had  visited  most  of  the  islets  and  coasts  extend- 
ing from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Plate  on  the  eastern  coast  to  the 
Gulf  of  Peflas  in  the  westward.  During  his  last  cruise,  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  attacked  by  a  party  of  natives  in  the  Beagle 
Channel,  at  a  place  not  far  from  the  missionary  station  of  Ushuwia. 
Jle  gave  us  a  most  graphic  description  of  tiie  affair.  His  schooner 
had  been  lying  quietly  at  anchor  in  a  rather  desolate  part  of  the 
channel,  having  at  the  time  only  five  men,  including  himself,  on 
board,  when  a  canoe  containing  ten  Fuegians — eight  men  and  two 
women — came  alongside.  Not  suspecting  any  treachery,  he  went 
below  to  have  his  tea,  leaving  one  man  on  the  forecastle  to  look 
after  the  vessel.  Presently  hearing  a  scuffle  on  deck,  he  put  up 
his  head  through  the  small  hatch  of  his  cabin,  when  a  native 
standing  above  made  a  blow  at  him  with  a  canoe  paddle.     The 


A   Scaler'' s   Var;i.  113 

blow  failed  to  take  effect,  as  he  liad  just  time  to  duck  Iiis  head 
under  the  boom  of  the  mainsail  which  was  secured  amidships  over 
the  hatchway.  He  now  retreated  to  liis  cabin,  snatched  up  a 
revolver  which  was  lying  ready  loaded,  and  returning  to  the  hatch 
quietly  shot  the  native  who  was  wailing  to  strike  another  blow  at 
his  head.  Two  others  now  followed  up  the  attack,  armed  witii 
heavy  stones,  but  they  were  shot  in  quick  succession,  one  of  them 
falling  overboard  and  capsizing  the  canoe.  As  Stole  now  raised 
himself  through  the  hatch,  a  fourth  native  attacked  him  from 
behind,  but  he  turned  half  round,  rested  the  barrel  of  the  revolver 
on  his  left  arm,  and  fired  into  his  assailant's  eye,  the  entire  charge 
passing  through  the  wretched  creature's  head.  In  the  meantime 
the  crew  were  successful  in  expelling  the  four  natives  who  had 
attacked  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel,  and  all  of  whom  were  killed. 
The  two  women  in  the  boat  had  been  passing  up  stones  as  ammuni- 
tion for  their  male  companions,  and  when  the  canoe  capsized  one 
of  them  was  drowned.  When  the  fight  was  over,  the  deck  pre- 
sented a  ghastly  sight,  being  sloppy  all  over  with  blood  in  which 
ivere  lying  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  dying  savages,  as  well  as 
quantities  of  stones  which  before  the  attack  began  had  been  passed 
up  from  the  canoe  to  be  expended  in  storming  the  hold  of  the 
vessel.  Of  the  ten  natives,  eight  men  had  been  killed,  and  one 
woman  drowned,  the  surviving  woman  being  taken  prisoner.  The 
sealers  now  got  under  way,  and  proceeded  to  the  mission  of  Ushuwia, 
where  they  reported  the  matter  to  Mr:  Bridges,  the  manager  of  the 
station.  He  investigated  the  case,  and  on  finding  that  the  account 
given  by  the  sealers  was  corroborated  by  the  evidence  of  the 
surviving  woman,  exonerated  the  former  of  an)-  misconduct  in  the 
energetic  measures  which  they  had  taken  to  defend  their  lives,  and 
to  defeat  the  object  of  the  natives,  which  of  course  was  to  obtain 
the  possession  of  the  schooner. 

The  first  of  the  small  sealing  fleet  to  arri\e  at  Sand}'  Point 
this  season  was  the  /-V/.V,  of  Stanley,  a  small  rakish  .schooner, 
commanded  by  an  Irishman  named  Buckley.      He  had  a  cargo  of 

S 


114  Cruise  0/  the  ^'^ Alert" 

500  sealskins,  which  he  sold  to  a  German  dealer  on  shore,  at  the 
rate  of  30J.  a  skin,  this  being  considered  a  good  price  for  Sandy 
Point,  and  generally  only  given  for  the  first  arrivals  in  port ; 
cargoes  arriving  late  in  the  season  not  realizing  more  than  25J. 
a  skin.  In  the  present  state  of  the  home  market,  furs  being  in 
request,  these  skins,  on  being  landed  in  England,  whither  they 
are  conveyed  by  the  mail-steamers,  are  bought  by  the  furriers 
for  about  £if  apiece  ;  so  that  the  dealers  at  Sandy  Point  make  a 
large  profit  by  their  share  in  the  trade.  Scalers  fitting  out  at 
Sandy  Point  also  usually  get  their  stores  and  provisions  on  credit, 
and  at  an  exorbitant  valuation,  from  the  same  dealer  to  whom 
they  subsequently  sell  their  skins.  The  produce  of  the  skins, 
moreover,  as  they  are  sold  to  the  dealers  at  Sandy  Point,  is 
divided  into  three  equal  lots,  of  which  one  is  divided  among  the 
crew,  while  the  remaining  two  go  to  the  owner,  out  of  which 
he  has  to  pay  for  the  provisions  and  stores  consumed  on  the 
cruise.  It  is  calculated  that  the  outlay  on  the  stores  swallows 
up  about  one-third  of  the  entire  sum,  so  that  eventually 
about  one-third  of  the  value  of  the  skins  remains  as  the  profit 
of  the  owner.  In  a  very  good  season,  the  master  and  owner  of 
a  sealing  schooner  of  thirty  tons  will  make  a  clear  profit  of  as 
much  as  ;^2,ooo,  while  each  man  of  the  crew  (usually  twelve 
in  number)  would  get  a  share  amounting  to  £Zo,  on  which  to 
spend  the  blank  eleven  months  of  the  off-season  in  idleness  and 
dcbaucher)'. 

The  Magellan  scaling  season  extends  over  the  months  of 
December  and  January.  In  or  about  the  last  week  of  November, 
the  fur  seal  {Aictoccpltaliis  Falklandiciis)  and  the  sea  lion  {Otaria 
jubatd)  "haul  up"  on  the  rocks  of  the  outer  coasts,  and  bring 
forth  their  young.  The  breeding  places,  or  "  rookeries,"  which 
they  usually  select,  are  small,  low-lying,  rocky  islets,  which  are 
exposed  to  the  swell  of  the  great  ocean,  and  over  which,  in  heavy 
weather,  the  sea  makes  a  more  or  less  clean  sweep.  Situated  as 
these  rocks  arc,  it  is  often  a  very  difficult  and  dangerous  matter 


Hardships  of  Seal-Hunting.  1 1 5 

to  effect  a  landing,  so  that,  to  make  sure  of  it,  a  sealing  master 
usually  arranges  his  cruise  so  that  he  may  reach  the  vicinity  of 
the  rookery  about  a  month  before  the  breeding  time.  He  then 
takes  advantage  of  the  first  fine  day  to  land  a  party  of  men  on 
the  rock  with  fuel,  camping  arrangements,  and  a  large  supply  of 
provisions.  The  latter  is  essential,  for  it  may  be  two  or  three 
months  after  the  season  is  over  before  he  can  get  a  favourable 
day  for  embarking  the  men  and  the  stock  of  skins.  Cases  have 
occurred  where  men  have  been  weather-bound  on  the  rocks  for 
months,  and  reduced  to  the  brink  of  starvation,  although  making 
use  of  scal-flcsh  and  shell-fish  as  long  as  they  could  get  them.  The 
different  sealing  captains  are,  of  course,  very  careful  to  conceal 
from  each  other  the  position  of  the  "  rookeries"  of  which  they 
know ;  and  they  have  got  so  much  into  the  habit  of  deceiving 
each  other  in  this  respect,  that  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  safe  rule, 
that  if  a  sealing  master  says  he  has  landed  his  men  on  some  rocks 
to  the  northward,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  real  locality  is 
somewhere  in  a  southerly  direction.  After  the  camping  parties 
have  been  established  at  the  "  rookeries,"  the  sealing  vessel  with 
the  crew,  now  reduced  to  a  very  small  number,  is  employed  for 
the  next  month  or  two  in  cruising  in  search  of  new  hunting- 
grounds.  In  this  pursuit  they  sometimes  wander  for  hundreds  of 
miles  from  the  place  where  the  men  have  been  landed,  traversing 
unsurveyed  channels  and  islets,  trusting  confidently  that  at  night 
time  they  can  always  find  some  sheltered  place  where  they  can 
cither  anchor  close  in  shore,  or,  if  the  water  be  too  deep,  as  it 
generally  is,  make  fast  to  a  tree.  When  cruising  in  this  way, 
they  kill  numbers  of  the  Magellan  sea-otter  [Liitra  felind),  an 
animal  which  they  include  in  their  line  of  business,  although  not 
at  all  to  the  same  extent  as  the  fur  seal.  The  fur  of  the  otter 
when  dressed  is  of  great  beauty  ;  but  as  it  is  not  now  in  fashion 
in  Europe,  it  commands  a  very  small  price  in  the  market,  the 
salted  skins,  on  delivery  in  England,  only  realizing  about  2s.  apiece. 
When  the  long  brown  hairs  which  form  the  animal's  apparent  coat 


ii6  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert.'' 

have  been  removed,  the  underlying  fur  is  seen  to  be  of  a  beautiful 
golden  yellow  colour.  Tiic  otters  are  obtained  by  sealers  in  a 
great  measure  by  bartering  with  native  canoes  (the  Fucgians 
catching  them  with  dogs),  and  also  by  shooting  them,  as  they 
swim  through  the  kelp  close  to  the  beach.  Both  the  otter  and 
seal-skin  are  salted  dry, — that  is  to  say,  each  skin  is  spread  out 
flat,  salt  is  sprinkled  plentifully  over  the  inside,  and  the  skin  is 
then  rolled  up  with  the  hair  outside,  and  tied  up  into  a  round 
bundle.  The  old  fur  seals  are  killed  just  as  the)-  arc  met  with, 
and  without  any  regard  to  the  preservation  of  the  stock.  The 
sealers  commonly  call  the  females  "  claphatchcs,"  and  the  males 
"  wigs  ;"  the  skin  of  the  former  is  much  the  more  valuable  of  the 
two.  The  sea  lions  (another  species  of  seal)  are  seldom  meddled 
with;  but  occasionally  a  sealer,  in  default  of  the  regular  article, 
will  kill  them  for  the  sake  of  the  oil,  and  take  some  of  the 
hides,  for  which  there  is  a  certain  demand  for  making  "  machine 
belting." 

Buckley,  the  master  of  the  FiUs,  told  us  that  he  had  observed 
that  in  the  case  of  the  fur  seal  there  was  an  interval  of  only 
one  or  two  weeks  between  the  date  of  parturition  and  that  of 
coupling,  and  that,  in  the  case  of  the  "hair  seal,"  coupling  took 
place  almost  immediately  after  the  young  were  brought  forth. 
Jf  this  be  true,  the  period  of  gestation  cannot  be  less  than  eleven 
months. 

Buckley  presented  the  ca[)tain  with  a  young  fur  seal — a  male, 
six  weeks  old — which  had  been  caught  on  the  rocks,  and  nursed 
carefully  by  one  of  his  crew,  an  Italian  seaman,  who  had  been 
'bottle-feeding"  it  with  milk,  and  had  taught  it  to  answer  to  the 
call  of  a  wiiistlc.  It  trotted  about  our  decks  in  a  most  lively 
manner,  its  hind  feet,  when  trotting  or  walking,  being  turned 
forwards  and  outwards  in  the  manner  peculiar  to  seals  of  its 
genus.  On  whistling  to  it,  it  uttered  a  strange  cry — half  wail, 
half  bark — and  came  to  the  call  like  a  dog.  When  taken  uji  in 
the  arms  and  petted  like  a  child,  it  lay  quite  still,  closed  its  eyes 


Experiment  with  Conaor.  1 1 7 

and  seemed  to  go  off  into  a  gentle  sleep.  It,  unfortunately,  died 
on  the  following  day — perhaps  through  fretting  for  its  Italian 
nurse — and  its  body  then  came  into  my  hands  as  a  zoological 
specimen. 

Dr.  Fenton,  whose  acquaintance  we  had  made  on  our  first  visit 
just  a  year  previously,  was  still  residing  at  Sandy  Point  as  medical 
officer  of  the  settlement,  and,  with  great  good  nature,  put  his 
house  and  horses  at  our  disposal.  He  told  mc  of  an  experiment 
he  had  been  trying  on  the  flying  powers  of  a  condor,  which 
had  been  caught  alive.  lie  perforated  the  quills  of  the  wing 
and  tail  feathers,  so  as  to  allow  the  ingress  and  egress  of  air, 
and  on  then  throwing  the  bird  up  in  the  air  found  that  it  could 
neither  fly  nor  soar.  The  inference  is  that  the  bird  derives  its 
buoyancy  in  a  great  measure  from  the  formation  of  a  vacuum 
in  the  quills  of  these  feathers,  and  consequently,  on  air  being 
admitted,  the  flapping  of  the  wings,  unaided  by  the  buoyancy 
derived  from  the  rarefied  air,  was  insufficient  either  to  raise 
or  support  the  bird's  weight.  If  this  theory  be  correct,  it  is 
probable  that  the  mechanism  by  which  this  vacuum  is  produced 
is  actuated  by  the  wing  muscles,  which  thus  discharge  a  twofold 
office.- 

From  the  13th  of  January  to  the  25th  of  March,  after  leaving 
Sandy  Point,  we  proceeded  to  the  western  part  of  Magellan 
Straits,  where  we  were  for  about  nine  weeks,  occupied  in  making 
additions  to  the  old  surveys,  principally  in  the  narrow  and  tortuous 
part  of  the  Strait  which  is  called  the  "Crooked  Reach."  The 
scenery  here  is  remarkably  fine,  and  on  a  dry  clear  day — an  event, 
however,  of  rare  occurrence — one  can  fully  realize  the  truth  of  old 
Pigafetta's  remark,  that  "  there  is  not  in  the  world  a  more  beautiful 
country,  or  better  strait,  than  this  one." 

We  made  several  stays,  each  of  a  day's  duration,  at  TiUy  Bay, 
a  small  land-locked  anchorage  on  the  north  shore  of  Santa  Ines 
Island,  and  immediately  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Jerome 
Channel,  which  leads  into  the  Otwav  water.      At  the  head  of  the 


ii8  Cruise  of  the  "Alcrir 

bay  a  stretch  of  open  moorland,  dotted  here  and  there  witli 
clumps  of  cedar  trees,  led  by  a  gentle  ascent  to  a  sort  of  upland 
plateau,  formed  of  moss-covered  undulating  land  with  sheets  of 
still  water  occupying  the  hollows.  Not  a  trace  of  a  bird  was 
to  be  seen,  and  I  was  never  more  struck  with  the  extreme 
paucity  of  animal  life  in  the  interior  of  these  islands  than  when 
standing  on  the  shore  of  one  of  these  desolate  lakes  in  Santa 
Ines  Island. 

We  frequently  noticed,  in  the  deep  spongy  moss  over  which  we 
walked,  the  nests  of  a  Trap-door  Spider.  They  appeared  externally 
as  round  apertures  in  the  surface  of  the  moss,  about  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  diameter,  which  were  covered  over  with  a  closely  woven 
disc  of  web.  On  removing  the  cover  from  one  of  them,  and 
clearing  away  the  surrounding  moss,  I  found  that  the  burrow 
descended  vertically  for  a  distance  of  about  eight  inches,  and  was 
lined  throughout  with  a  silky  network  of  spider  web,  so  that  the 
entire  web  structure,  i.e.,  the  tube  and  lid  combined,  resembled  in 
general  shape  some  of  the  commoner  forms  of  Aspergilluin.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  hole  lay  a  great  spider,  embracing  with  its  legs 
a  spherical  cocoon,  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  it 
seemed  resolved  on  defending  to  the  last  extremity.  I  examined 
other  nests  with  similar  results. 

While  wc  were  at  Tilly  Bay,  a  small  party  of  Fuegians  came 
in  and  took  up  their  quarters  in  an  old  camping  place  close  to 
the  ship.  They  were  a  comparatively  friendly  lot,  and  had  no 
hesitation  about  coming  on  board,  especially  about  our  meal  hours, 
which  they  very  soon  got  to  understand.  The  party  consisted  of  one 
adult  man,  a  boy  aged  about  seventeen,  a  woman  about  nineteen, 
with  four  small  children,  and  two  or  three  dogs  of  the  usual  kind. 
The  canoe  was  made  of  planks,  and  was  of  the  same  build  as  those 
which  we  had  seen  about  the  Trinidad  Channel.  Lying  in  the 
bottom  of  the  canoe  were  the  putrid  remains  of  two  seals,  a  sea 
lion,  and  a  fur-seal,  whose  heads  I  obtained.  We  got  on  such  inti- 
mate terms  with  this  family,  that  little  by  little  we  induced  them 


Fuegians  at  Tilly  Bay.  1 1 9 

• 
to  show  us  all  their  properties,  even  to  the  much-cherished 
materials  for  producing  fire.  These  were  kept  in  a  wooden  box 
somewhat  of  the  shape  of  a  small  band-box,  and  made  of  Winter's 
bark  sewn  together  roughly  with  strips  of  hide.  The  tinder, 
which  seemed  to  consist  of  dried  moss,  was  stowed  away  carefully 
in  little  bags  formed  of  dried  seal's  intestines  tied  up  at  the 
ends. 

I  also  obtained  by  barter  two  very  dirty  bits  of  iron  pyrites 
which  they  used  for  igniting  the  tinder,  and  on  striking  them 
together  they  certainly  emitted  showers  of  sparks.  The  box  also 
contained  glass  arrow-heads,  glass  spear-heads,  bone  harpoon- 
heads,  a  noose  made  of  a  strip  of  baleen  and  apparently 
intended  for  trapping  otters,  and  a  very  strong  net  made  out 
of  seal-hide,  which  the  old  man  gave  us  to  understand  was 
used  for  catching  seals.  The  net  was  nearly  square,  measuring 
about  six  feet  both  ways,  and  the  meshes  were  about  eight 
inches  across.  This  last  was  evidently  considered  a  great  work 
of  art,  for  as  the  old  man  displayed  it  his  eyes  glittered  with 
pride,  and  he  assumed  an  air  of  importance,  as  if  to  imply — 
"See  that  and  die!" 

Subsequently  two  more  canoes  turned  up,  bringing  a  large  party 
of  natives,  and  as  I  was  curious  to  ascertain  the  method  by  which 
they  fashioned  their  glass  implements,  I  visited  the  encampment 
one  day,  bringing  with  me  an  empty  pickle  bottle,  and  intimated 
by  signs  that  I  wished  to  have  it  broken  up  and  to  see  a  spear- 
head or  arrow-head  made.  They  understood  readily  enough  what 
was  required,  and  one  of  the  men,  coming  forward,  took  hold  of  the 
bottle,  smashed  it  against  the  stones,  and  selecting  a  suitable 
fragment,  set  to  work  at  it.  He  held  the  piece  of  glass  firmly  in 
his  left  hand,  protecting  the  fingers  with  a  bit  of  cloth,  while,  with 
his  right,  he  grasped  a  chipping  tool,  which  consisted  of  a  large 
blunt-pointed  iron  nail  fixed  in  a  stout  wooden  handle,  serving  the 
double  purpose  of  a  chipping  tool  and  a  means  of  calking  the 
seams  of  the  canoe.      Holding  it  with    the   iron   point   directed 


I20  Cruise  0/  the  ''Alert." 

• 

towards  his  waist,  lie  inaJe  steady  pressure  against  the  fractured 
edge  of  the  glass,  so  as  to  make  small  chips  flake  off  from  the 
edge  towardb  the  smooth  side  surface.  In  effecting  this  he  was 
able  to  use  great  force,  because,  while  the  left  hand,  whicii  held 
the  glass,  was  supported  riijidly  against  his  clicst,  the  manner  in 
which  he  held  the  fashioning  tool  enabled  him  to  bring  the  whole 
strength  of  his  wrist  to  bear  upon  the  edge  of  the  glass.  After 
having  bevelled  off  one  side  of  the  edge,  he  turned  the  glass  round 
and  bevelled  the  other  side  in  a  similar  manner.  Having  once 
imparted  a  double  bevel  to  \.\\t  edge,  he  was  easily  able,  by  operat- 
ing on  each  side  alternately,  to  reduce  the  substance  of  the  margin 
in  any  one  place  until  the  glass  had  assumed  the  outline  required. 
Proceeding  in  this  way,  the  formation  of  the  barbs  and  the  recess- 
ing of  the  base  for  the  ligature  which  would  secure  it  to  the  shaft, 
were  effected  to  all  appearance  with  the  greatest  facility.  The 
most  difficult  part  of  the  business  was  now  the  formation  of  the 
fine  point,  as  the  chipping  and  flaking  had  to  be  conducted  with 
the  greatest  nicetj'.  However,  after  half-an-hour's  steady  work, 
he  triumphantly  produced  a  spcar-hcad  two  and  a  half  inches  long, 
and  of  the  form  shown  in  the  annexed  sketch.  The  arrow-heads 
are  made  in  the  same  way,  and  are  about  one  inch  in  length. 

\Vc  had  the  chipping  operation  repeated  on  many  subsequent 
occasions,  and  by  various  individuals,  and  found  that  all  adopted 
the  same  method  ;  the  essential  feature  of  which  was  that  the 
fashioning  of  the  glass  was  effected  entirely  by  /;vjj.//;v,  and  that 
no  striking  implement  was  used.  I  induced  one  of  the  men  to 
try  an  old  flat  file,  instead  of  his  own  chipping  instrument,  but  he 
soon  discarded  it ;  however  he  found  a  blunt-edged  ship's  knife 
very  convenient  for  giving  the  finishing  touches  to  the  point  of 
the  spear-head.  With  the  experience  gained  from  the  Fucgians, 
I  soon  learnt  to  turn  out  very  fair  imitations  of  their  work  ;  and 
after  practising  on  various  kinds  of  glass,  I  found  that  the  easiest 
to  work  with  was  black  bottle-glass,  and  the  most  difficult  plate- 
glass.      Green  pickle  bottle-glass  is  about  a  mean  between  the 


Fuegian    Vocabulary.  121 

two,  and  as  it  is  tolerably  tliick  the  natives  prefer  it  for  their 
spear-heads  ;  but  for  the  arrow-heads  they  use  the  black  glass. 
Crown-glass  was  easy  to  work,  but  flaked  off  in  rather  short 
pieces.  I  also  experimented  with  some  black  flint,  which  happened 
to  be  on  board,  and  found  it  could  be  worked  in  precisely  the 
same  way  as  the  glass,  but  was  certainly  more  difficult  to  fashion 
into  shape.  Then  I  tried  different  kinds  of  working  tools,  and 
soon  found,  to  my  surprise,  that  hard  steel  was  the  worst  of  all, 
for  it  scratched  and  slipped  off  the  edge  of  the  glass  without 
chipping  it  at  all  ;  whereas  soft  iron,  which  was  much  preferable, 
could  be  manipulated  so  that  it  would  bite  only  the  extreme  edge 
of  the  glass,  and  by  this  means  very  thin  and  broad  flakes  could 
be  detached.  Even  an  old  bone  harpoon-head  answered  very 
well  indeed,  but  of  course  was  worn  away  more  rapidly  than  the 
soft  iron. 

One  day,  when  the  old  man  of  tlie  first  canoe  party  was  on 
board,  and  in  an  amiable  mood,  I  succeeded  in  getting  some 
Fuegian  words  from  him,  a  matter  often  previously  attempted  in 
vain.  As  a  rule,  they  merely  repeat — and  that  most  accurately — 
the  gestures  or  ejaculations  which  cne  makes  in  drawing  their 
attention  to  any  particular  object.  I  brought  this  old  fellow  into 
my  workshop,  and  pointed  out  to  him  several  objects  which  I  had 
collected  in  the  straits,  and  which  were  sure  to  be  familiar  to  him. 
After  some  time  he  got  fairly  hold  of  the  idea,  and  then  became 
very  communicative,  eventually  giving  me  the  names  for  all  the 
familiar  objects  which  I  could  at  the  time  command.  I  subse- 
quently checked  the  vocabulary  thus  obtained,  by  reversing  the 
process  and  repeating  the  words  to  him,  and  making  him  indicate 
their  meaning,  and  in  this  way  I  made  certain  that  my  list,  small 
though  it  was,  had  at  all  events  the  merit  of  being  accurate.  In 
fact,  I  tested  some  of  the  words  afterwards  on  another  party  of 
natives,  whom  we  met  at  I'ort  Gallant,  and  found  that  they  went 
off  all  ri"ht 


122 


Cruise  of  the  ''Alertr 


VOCABULARY    OF    FUEGIAN    WORDS. 
Obtained  from  natives  at  Tilly  Bay,  Straits  of  Magellan. 


Basket 

(netted)  ■=  cheebass. 

Mussel 

=  chaloux. 

„    (plaited)  , 

dawyer. 

Necklace 

„  heskouna. 

Beard 

,  port. 

Nose 

„  los. 

Bottle 

,  kushki. 

Nutria-skull 

,,  theerkusthads. 

Breast 

poan. 

Otter-skin 

„  lalthers. 

Calf 

kutchoice. 

Paddle 

,,  chctarias. 

Canoe 

,  ayoux. 

Paroquet 

,,  parabas. 

Crab 

,  karabous-kalpers. 

Sea-egg 

,,  kawotchi. 

Deer 

,  halchun. 

Seal-skull 

,,  arougsis. 

Dog 

,  sharkiss. 

Ship's  boat 

,,  sherroux. 

Ear 

,  hawish. 

Skin  of  seal 

,,  harkusis-hushkei 

Eye 

,  stholc. 

Spear  (for  fish) 

,,  kip-thatharsh 

Eyebrow               , 

,  theseoux. 

Spear  (for  seals) 

,,  uaakutsh. 

Eyelash 

, 

,  thesseriss. 

Starfish 

,,  hiapparoux. 

Fingers 

,  sthosn. 

Steanicr-duck 

,,  karawus-poug. 

Finger- 

nails        , 

,  tharsh. 

Stomach 

,,  kutshiss. 

Fish 

,  areous-areersh. 

Stone  axe 

,,  kesaoux. 

Flint 

,  kosil. 

Teeth 

,,  pathers. 

Foot 

,  kadthakous. 

Thigh 

„  athursh. 

Hair 

,  therkous. 

Tongue 

„  Ickiss. 

Hand 

,  therrawaus. 

Tooth  (of  seal) 

,,  sheriquish. 

Head 

,  iakalus. 

Trumpetshcll 

„  tharagskar. 

Ironstone             , 

,  iuksthaads. 

Upland  Goose 

,,  harrawaloux. 

Limpet 

,  ithashaquash. 

Volute  shell 

„  tharaquakorass. 

Mouse 

,  akraceps. 

Water 

»  nupp- 

NAMES 

OF  FUEGIAN   CH 

ILDREN   AT  TILLY   BAY. 

Alkeress 

Gounaco. 

Ilchabesakodotis. 

Gounaco  Chikachikis. 

Kckhuarkuss. 

We  anchored  at  Port  Gallant  for  three  days  in  the  latter  end 
of  January,  and  while  we  were  there  a  bark  canoe  came  alongside. 
It  was  of  the  kind  which  King  describes  as  peculiar  to  the  tribe 
inhabiting  the  western  part  of  the  Magellan  Straits,  and  to  whom 
he  assigned  the  name  "  Pecherai,"  from  their  habit  of  frequently 
using  that  word.  The  canoe  was  much  smaller  and  lighter  than 
the  plank  canoes  of  the  western  channels,  and  was  propelled 
entirely  by  paddles  instead  of  oars.     Two  old  women,  who  sat  in 


Pecherai  Fuegians — A  Steamer  in  Distress.  123 

tlic  stern  end,  wore  cloaks  of  deer  skin,  and  were  very  noisy  and 
talkative,  so  that  we  did  not  encourage  them  to  come  on  board. 
The  basket,  in  which  they  carried  their  stock  of  shellfish,  was 
much  more  elaborately  plaited  than  were  those  of  the  "  Channel 
Fuegians."  We  did  not  observe  any  difference  in  their  hunting 
implements,  except  that  bows  and  arrows  were  more  abundant 
with  them. 

On  the  25th,  a  large  iron  steamship,  the  Maraiihense,  came  in 
from  the  westward  and  anchored  near  us.  It  appeared  that  about 
six  months  previously  she  had  come  out  from  Antwerp,  bringing 
a  cargo  of  arms  for  the  Chilian  Government,  and  that  she  was 
now  homeward  bound,  carrying  a  general  cargo.  As  she  was 
coming  down  the  Messier  Channel,  she  had  touched  the  ground 
in  the  English  Narrows,  and  been  so  much  injured  in  the  bows 
that  her  collision  compartment  was  full  of  water.  Captain 
Leadbcttcr  came  on  board  to  solicit  the  services  of  our  diver, 
which  were  of  course  granted  ;  and  on  an  examination  being 
made,  it  was  found  that  there  was  a  hole  in  her  bows  big  enough 
for  a  man  to  crawl  through.  For  several  days  subsequently 
ineffectual  attempts  were  made  to  stop  it  up,  and  on  the  30lh  of 
January  both  vessels  moved  up  to  Sandy  Point.  Here  we  met 
a  German  man-of-war,  the  Frcia,  whose  crew  rendered  further 
assistance  to  the  disabled  vessel,  but  all  in  vain.  At  length,  our 
diver  was  sent  down  to  make  a  complete  examination  of  her 
bottom,  and  he  came  up  with  the  unpleasant  news  that  there 
was  another  great  hole  in  her  bottom,  75  feet  in  length,  under 
the  after-hold,  that  the  iron  skin  and  part  of  the  keel  had  been 
torn  away,  and  that  the  cement  alone,  with  which  her  bottom  was 
lined,  prevented  the  water  from  coming  in.  In  view  now  of  the 
possibility  of  the  cement  suddenly  giving  way,  and  the  vessel 
sinking,  steam  was  got  up,  the  anchor  was  raised,  and  she  was 
moved  into  shallower  water  further  inshore,  so  that  in  the  event 
of  her  sinking,  the  hull  might  not  be  entirely  submerged.  The 
master  of  the   Marauhcnse  now  decided    on   sending  to    Monte 


124  Cruise  of  the   "Alerts 

Video  for  artificers  and  material  to  repair  the  bottom,  and  for  a 
new  crank-shaft  for  her  engines,  which  had  also  recently  come  to 
grief. 

On  the  9th  of  February  we  bade  good-bye  to  the  officers  ol 
the  Maraii/icnse,  and  steamed  back  to  Port  Gallant. 

Some  days  subsequently  we  moved  westward  to  Playa  Parda 
Cove  in  Crooked  Reach,  our  boats  having  been  meanwhile  engaged 
in  charting  the  coastline. 

On  February  iSth  a  small  party  of  us  made  a  trip  in  the  steam 
cutter  from  Playa  Parda  Cove  to  visit  a  glacier  which  is  situated 
about  six  miles  to  the  eastward.  We  steamed  round  to  the  inlet, 
which  is  marked  on  the  chart  as  Glacier  Bay,  and  moored  the 
cutter  under  a  lofty  cliff  near  the  head  of  the  bay.  The  land 
here  was  low  and  flat,  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  and  bounded 
on  either  side  by  precipitous  lofty  cliffs,  whose  smooth  faces 
exhibited  planings  and  scorings  due  to  the  abrading  action  of  old 
glaciers.  I  landed  about  the  middle  of  the  low  muddy  beach, 
which  extended  from  cliff  to  cliff,  and  proceeded  to  penetrate  the 
forest  in  the  direction  of  the  glacier.  Here  I  at  first  found  some 
difficulty  in  advancing,  for  after  tearing  my  way  through  a  dense 
prickly  scrub  of  barberry  bushes,  I  came  upon  an  even  more 
serious  obstacle,  in  the  shape  of  a  broad  and  rapid  torrent  of 
mud-coloured  water,  which  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  cross. 
This  was  one  of  the  streams  which  flowed  from  under  the  glacier. 
Cautiously  feeling  my  way,  and  steadying  mjseh  against  the 
rushing  water,  I  just  managed  to  get  across,  finding  the  process 
rather  cold  ;  and  now,  after  traversing  a  belt  of  forest,  which  was 
only  half  a  mile  in  width,  but  which  gave  me  forty-five  minutes 
hard  work,  I  emerged  all  at  once  from  the  gloomy  shade  of  the 
beech  trees  to  find  my  eyes  dazzled  by  a  glare  of  white  light,  and 
the  foot  of  the  glacier  straight  before  me.  The  line  of  trees  was 
separated  from  the  snout  of  the  glacier  by  a  freshly-accumulating 
terminal  moraine,  of  about  one  hundred  yards  in  width  ;  and 
where  this  moraine  adjoined  the  sharply-defined  edge  of  the  forest. 


''-'f  J"  '  ^ 


%.^ii^ 


',  ,,':iM'/llj. 


A  JMacrellan   Glacier.  \2- 


a 


its  advancing  condition  was  evident  from  the  piles  of  ruLblc  which 
were  in  places  shot  in  among  the  green  trees,  and  from  the  over- 
turned condition  of  many  of  those  on  the  margin  of  the  forest,  as 
they  gave  way  before  the  advancing  piles  of  rubbish.  It  was  a 
strange  sight,  standing  in  the  middle  of  this  terminal  moraine,  to 
see,  on  the  one  hand,  a  fresh  evergreen  forest  abounding  in  the 
most  delicate  ferns  and  mosses ;  and,  on  the  other,  a  huge  mass 
of  cold  blue-veined  ice,  which  was  slowly  and  irresistibly  gouging 
its  passage  downwards  to  the  sea.  The  stones  of  the  moraine 
were  composed  of  syenite  and  greenstone,  the  former  predomi- 
nating, and  mixed  up  with  them  I  saw  many  trunks  of  trees, 
which  were  crushed,  torn,  and  distorted  out  of  all  shape.  These 
wcic  probably  the  remains  of  a  portion  of  the  forest,  which  had 
at  one  time  extended  furtlicr  up  the  valley,  and  which  had  been 
annihilated  by  the  advance  of  the  glacier  ;  and  this  circumstance, 
with  the  other  which  I  have  mentioned,  showed  clearly  that  the 
glacier  was  now  extending  its  limits  and  approaching  the  sea.  A 
few  days  afterwards,  we  paid  a  second  visit  to  Glacier  Bay,  when 
a  good  photo  was  obtained. 

We  stayed  for  a  fortnight  at  Swallow  Ea\-,  a  port  in  Crooked 
Reach,  a  few  miles  to  the  westward  of  Tilly  Bay.  It  would  seem 
that  this  locality  had  been  greatly  resorted  to  by  the  natives 
for  catching  fish,  for  we  found  several  of  their  "  stone  weirs," 
in  a  m.ore  or  less  perfect  state.  The  places  selected  for  these 
weirs  were  usually  small  smooth-bottomed  coves,  and  the  weir, 
vvhicli  consists  of  a  sort  of  dam  built  of  loose  stones  about  three 
feet  high,  is  placed  across  the  inouth  of  one  of  these  coves  in 
such  a  manner,  that  when  it  is  complete,  any  fish  which  may 
be  inside  it  will  be  imprisoned.  When  it  is  low  water,  and  the 
cove  is  almost  dry,  a  gap  is  left  in  the  centre  of  the  weir  through 
which  the  fish  may  enter  with  the  rising  tide  ;  at  high  tide  the 
gap  is  closed  up,  so  that  when  the  water  flows  awa)'  through 
the  interstices  of  the  dam  with  the  falling  tide,  the  fish  remain 
imprisoned    in    a   shallow   pool   where  they  can  easily  be  caught. 


12,6  Cruise  of  the  ''Alerts 

These  shallow  mud-bottomed  coves  are  the  favourite  haunts  of 
the  grey  mullets,  who  collect  there  in  great  numbers,  and  who 
sometimes  on  bright  fine  days  may  be  seen  resting  on  the  mud 
with  only  a  few  inches  of  water  over  them,  as  they  lie  apparently 
basking  in  the  sunshine. 

Here,  at  Swallow  Bay,  a  party  of  our  men  captured  and 
brought  to  me  a  male  specimen  of  the  Magellan  nutria,  an 
animal  which  is  abundant  throughout  the  straits  and  western 
channels,  but  which  is  nevertheless  very  rarely  seen.  We  had 
often  previously  seen  its  bones  in  the  Fuegian  midden  heaps, 
where  its  skull,  with  the  long  curved  orange-coloured  incisors, 
was  a  conspicuous  object ;  but  this  was  the  first  recent  specimen 
we  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  It  was  started  from  the  brush- 
wood by  a  retriever  dog  belonging  to  the  ship,  and  on  taking 
to  the  water  was  killed  after  a  most  exciting  chase  on  the  part 
of  our  bluejackets.  It  proved  to  be  identical  with  the  Chilian 
species,  Mjofotamits  Coj'pi. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

EXPLORATIONS  IN  SKYRING    WATER. 

ON  the  occasion  of  our  last  visit  to  Sandy  Point,  the  captain 
received  despatches  from  the  Admiralty,  which  authorised 
him  to  proceed  to  Skyring  Water  in  order  to  investigate  the  nature 
of  the  coal  which  was  then  being  worked  on  the  north-east  of  that 
basin,  and  to  ascertain  if  it  could  be  made  available  for  the  use 
of  men-of-war  or  merchant  vessels,  passing  through  the  Straits 
of  Magellan.  A  favourable  opportunity  occurring  on  March  5th, 
the  Alert  accordingly  got  under  way  from  her  anchorage  at 
Tilly  Bay,  and  steaming  northwards  across  the  Strait,  entered  the 
Jerome  Channel.  Here  we  experienced  a  strong  current  from 
the  northward,  which  was  attributed  by  Mr.  Petley,  our  navi- 
gating officer,  to  the  ebb  tide  flowing  from  the  Otway  Water. 
This  channel  is  twenty  miles  in  length,  from  its  southern  opening 
opposite  Tilly  Bay  to  its  northern  extremity  abreast  of  Corona 
Island,  where  it  dilates  into  the  wide  expanse  of  Otway  Water. 
Its  shores  are  lined  by  precipitous  mountains  of  an  average 
height  of  1,000  feet,  and  clothed  to  their  summits  with  the 
dense  evergreen  forest  which  characterizes  the  scenery  of  the 
western  half  of  the  Magellan  Straits.  Behind,  and  towering 
above  this  coast  range,  were  hills  of  a  still  greater  altitude, 
whose  summits  were  clothed  with  a  mantle  of  snow  and  ice — 
the  source  of  the  glaciers  flowing  to  the  southward  into  the  main 
straits.     As  we  entered  Otway  Water,  we  saw  on  our  starboard 


I2S  Cruise  0/  the  '' Alert." 

hand  a  broad  expanse  of  rippling  water,  limited  in  the  distance 
by  a  coastline  of  comparatively  low  land,  while  on  our  port  side 
there  was  a  marked  transition  from  the  lofty  mountains  of  the 
Cordillera  to  an  upland  plain  of  undulating  hills  covered  with 
forest,  and  sloping  gradually  downwards  into  low  flat  land  as  it 
extended  to  the  eastward.  In  fact,  we  had  passed  through  the 
backbone  of  the  Cordillera,  and  were  now  approaching  the 
alluvial  plains  of  Patagonia  ;  and  it  was  also  clear  to  us  that 
we  were  crossing  the  line  of  demarcation  between  two  climatic 
zones,  for  we  found  that  we  were  exchanging  the  cloudy  sky  of 
the  Magellan  region  for  brilliant  sunshine  and  a  clear  blue  sk)-, 
a  change  only  to  be  fully  appreciated  by  those  who  have  spent 
many  months  in  the  damp,  cloud-collecting  region  of  the  Western 
Straits. 

The  north  shore  of  Otway  Water  was  low  and  shelving, 
presenting  a  glistening  margin  of  sandy  beach,  and  fringed  by 
a  wide  belt  of  very  shallow  water.  In  the  afternoon  we  entered 
the  Canal  of  Fitzroy,  where  we  encountered  a  strong  current  from 
the  northward  {i.e.  from  Skyring  Water),  which  considerably 
impeded  our  progress.  Indeed,  at  4  p.m.  we  grounded  on  a 
sandbank,  getting  off,  however,  without  much  difficulty,  and  in 
an  hour  afterwards  we  dropped  anchor  in  a  bight  where  an 
S-shaped  curvature  in  the  canal  afforded  us  shelter  from  the 
current. 

Both  shores  of  the  canal  are  low,  and  formed  of  alluvial  soil, 
of  which  the  crumbling  banks  in  places  exhibited  good  sections. 
Well-marked  terrace-levels  bore  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the 
land  must  have  been  subjected  to  upheaval,  with  reference  to  the 
sea-level,  at  some  period  in  the  world's  history.  The  country 
on  the  western  side  of  the  canal  is  covered  with  thick  scrubby 
bush,  while  that  on  the  eastern  side,  where  we  landed  for  a  few 
hours,  was  a  sort  of  open  park-land  disposed  in  undulating  hills, 
covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass,  and  studded  here  and 
there  with  isolated  clumps  of  trees  and  bushes,  among  which  we 


Canal  of  Filzroy.  1 29 

noticed  the  antarctic  beech,  an  embothrium,  a  barberry,  and  a 
cheilobothrium.  The  ground  in  the  middle  of  these  clumps  was 
worn  bare  from  having  been  used  as  a  resting-place  by  the  wild 
cattle.  Herbaceous  composite  plants  grew  in  great  profusion,  and 
many  specimens  of  a  lychnis  were  seen,  but  unfortunately  the 
season  was  too  far  advanced  for  our  obtaining  useful  specimens 
of  flowering  plants.  I  was  surprised  at  the  great  variety  of 
grasses  which  flourished  on  the  dark  loamy  soil.  We  saw  count- 
less tracks  of  wild  cattle  and  horses,  and  a  few  deer  tracks,  but 
in  the  course  of  our  ramble  failed  to  meet  with  any  of  these 
animals.  The  existence  of  a  species  of  Ctenomys  was  evident 
from  the  way  in  which  the  ground  was  in  many  places  so 
riddled  with  holes  as  to  be  exceedingly  dangerous  for  incautious 
horsemen  ;  and  while  walking  through  the  long  grass  I  stumbled 
over  the  skull  of  a  puma.  We  did  not  see  many  species  of  birds. 
Finches  were  abundant,  and  some  flocks  of  the  black  starling, 
and  also  of  the  military  starling,  were  seen.  I  got  a  specimen  of 
a  pteroplochus,  which  resembled  the  tapacola  of  Chili,  but  differed 
from  it  in  having  a  red  iris  ;  and  on  the  beach  I  shot  a  cinclodes, 
which  seemed  to  be  of  a  different  species  from  the  common  kelp- 
bird  of  the  straits.  A  fine  buzzard  (I  think  Buteo  erytlironotiis) 
soared  above  my  head,  but  out  of  range  ;  and  the  tiny  wren  of 
Magellan  {Troglodytes),  completed  the  list  of  birds  which  we  saw. 
During  our  absence  great  numbers  of  black-necked  swans  and 
brown  ducks  were  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ship. 

The  western  shore  of  Fitzroy  Channel  consisted  of  a  low  plain, 
rising  gradually  towards  the  westward,  covered  with  a  dense 
scrub  of  tall  bushes,  and  contrasting  strikingly  with  the  open 
moorland  on  the  eastern   shore. 

At  five  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  we  got  under  way  and 
continued  our  course  through  the  Canal  of  Fitzroy,  steaming  for 
hours  through  a  dense  interminable  flock  of  black-necked  swans, 
that  paddled  lazily  to  either  side  as  we  advanced,  as  yet  in  happy 
ignorance  of  the   thirst   for  blood  which  characterizes  the   British 

9 


130  Cruise  of  the  ^' Alert. '^ 

sportsman.  As  we  emerged  from  the  canal,  and  skirted  along 
the  eastern  shore  of  Skyring  Water,  we  noticed  two  men  on  foot, 
walking  along  the  beach.  We  after\vards  learned  that  they  had 
a  day  or  two  previously  left  the  coal  mine  where  they  had  been 
employed,  and  were  now  attempting  the  precarious  task  of  travel- 
ling on  foot  to  the  Chilian  settlement,  Punta  Arenas,  in  the  Straits 
of  Magellan,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles. 

At  10.30  a.m.  we  reached  the  bay  of  the  mines  (Rada  de  las 
Minas),  and  came  to  an  anchor  about  half  a-mile  from  the  shore. 
The  settlement  was  larger  than  we  had  expected,  and  exhibited 
fair  signs  of  activity,  several  shingle-built  houses,  large  store  sheds, 
and  a  steam  sawmill,  showing  out  conspicuously  against  the  dark 
background  of  forest  which  spreads  for  a  few  miles  to  either  side, 
and  is  seen  extending  inland  to  near  the  summit  of  Mount 
Rogers,  a  hill  to  the  northward  which  reaches  an  elevation  of 
1,000  feet. 

For  information  concerning  Skj-ring  Water,  we  are  mainly 
indebted  to  Fitzroy's  account  of  the  short  survey  he  made  in  the 
year  1829,  when  in  command  of  H.M.S.  Beagle  (which  account 
comprises  information  obtained  from  a  sealer  named  Low,  who 
visited  these  waters  in  pursuit  of  his  trade),  and  to  some  papers 
published  by  the  Chilian  G0vernme.1t  in  the  A nuario  Hydrografico, 
detailing  the  results  of  two  visits  made  by  Chilian  men-of-war. 
In  November  1877  the  Chilian  gun-boat  Magellanes  visited  Sky- 
ring  Water,  making  a  stay  of  three  weeks,  during  which  time  her 
boats  were  mainly  employed  in  making  a  survey  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  basin.  The  results  of  this  survey,  so  far  as  it  went, 
favoured  the  idea  of  there  being  a  channel  connecting  Skyring 
Water  with  Smyth's  Channel  to  the  westward.  It  was  brought  to 
an  abrupt  termination  by  the  terrible  mutiny  which  took  place  at 
Sandy  Point  in  November  1877;  however,  in  the  months  of 
December  1 878,  and  January  and  February  1879,  Captain  Latorre, 
of  the  corvette  Magellanes,  made  a  second  incomplete  examina- 
tion of  Skyring  Water.     One   of  his  boat  parties  penetrated  a 


The  Skyring  Coal- Mines.  1 3  i 

considerable  distance  to  the  westward,  where  the  basin  is  con- 
tinuous with  a  number  of  long,  narrow,  winding  inlets  or  channels, 
which  enter  the  hills  of  the  coast  range.  Here  they  met  with  a 
party  of  Fuegians,  who  were  in  all  respects  similar  to  those  of  the 
western  channels,  possessing  the  usual  canoe  and  hunting  imple- 
ments. They  also  found  numerous  traces  of  Fuegians  in  all  the 
sheltered  coves  which  they  examined  among  the  inlets  towards 
the  western  part  of  Skyring  Water.  This  would  seem  to  indicate 
a  direct  water  communication  with  Smyth's  Channel,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  the  range  of  tide  being  found  to  be  exceedingly  small, 
would  tend  to  prove  that  its  connection  with  the  ocean  was  at  all 
eventsremote.  This  survey  was  brought  to  a  close  in  a  most 
unsatisfactory  way  when  almost  on  the  eve  of  clearing  up  the 
doubtful  question  as  to  the  existence  of  through  communication ; 
the  MagcHanes  having  been  ordered  north  on  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  between  Chili  and  Peru. 

The  Skyring  coal-mines  were  originally  started  in  the  year 
1877  by  an  enterprising  German  named  Haase,  who  opened  the 
seam,  extracted  some  coal,  and  erected  sheds,  but  soon  afterwards 
(I  believe  through  want  of  funds)  abandoned  the  undertaking,  so 
that  when  the  Chilian  corvette  Magellanes  arrived  here  in  October 
1877,  the  settlement  was  found  to  be  in  a  deserted  condition. 
Captain  Latorre  then  made  a  trial  of  some  coal  which  he  found 
lying  in  a  heap  near  the  pit's  mouth,  and  after  executing  a  partial 
survey  of  Skyring  Water  was  recalled  to  Sandy  Point,  on  receiving 
news  of  a  disastrous  mutiny  in  that  colony. 

The  settlement  remained  uninhabited  from  a  few  months  before 
the  Magellanes  first  visit  until  the  15th  of  November,  1879, 
when  the  mine  was  reopened  by  Mr.  Haase,  provided  with  money, 
furnished  by  a  company  which  had  been  formed  at  Buenos  Ayrcs. 
Since  that  time  the  work  has  progressed  steadilj',  so  that  the 
mine  and  adjoining  works  are  now  in  a  tolerably  efficient  state. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  mines  and  the  settlement  were  in 
charge  of  Monsieur  Arnaud,  a  French  engineer,  Mr.  Haase  having 


132  Cruise  of  the  "■Alert.'''' 

some  days  previously  gone  on  a  trip  to  Buenos  Ayrcs.  The 
people  numbered  about  twenty  altogether ;  but  as  there  were  as 
yet  no  customers  to  buy  the  coal,  and  as  consequently  no  wages 
had  been  paid  for  a  long  time  back,  the  miners  were  gradually 
deserting  and  making  tracks  for  Sandy  Point. 

The  edge  of  the  coal  seam,  which  is  now  being  worked,  was 
visible  in  the  face  of  a  low  cliff  on  the  north-west  promontory 
south  of  the  bay  of  the  mines.  The  outcrop  of  the  seam  is  in  a 
north  and  south  direction,  and  it  dips  to  the  south-east  at  an 
angle  of  about  45°.  From  a  cursory  examination  which  I  made 
of  sections  afforded  by  the  cliffs  adjoining  the  mines,  I  ascertained 
that  the  coal  was  overlain  by  a  bed  of  clayey  sandstone,  overlying 
which  was  a  stratum  of  hard  limestone  containing  fossil  shells, 
among  which  large  Ostrceas  were  the  most  conspicuous.  Above 
this,  and  lying  conformably  to  it,  was  a  layer  of  soft  sandstone 
containing  numerous  comminuted  fragments  of  shells  in  a  subfossil 
state.     The  coal  seam  itself  was  about  twelve  feet  thick. 

The  mine  seemed  to  be  in  a  most  efficient  state.  A  pit,  sunk 
obliquely,  descended  to  a  depth  of  thirty-six  feet,  where  it  com- 
municated with  a  horizontal  cutting  about  sixty  yards  in  length. 
At  the  end  of  this  gallery  the  coal  was  being  worked,  whence  it 
was  conveyed  in  trolleys  to  the  foot  of  the  pit,  and  then  hauled 
up  the  incline  by  means  of  a  stationary  engine  working  at  the 
pit's  mouth.  From  there  a  line  of  tram  rails  extended  about 
150  yards  to  the  end  of  a  strong  wooden  mole,  where  the  water 
was  deep  enough  to  float  heavy  barges,  and  where  a  large  pile 
was  stored  under  a  shed,  and  ready  for  shipment.  It  was  of 
good  black  colour,  but  light  and  friable  ;  very  much  resembling 
the  Lota  coal,  to  which  it  was  little  inferior  in  quality.  A 
sample  was  taken  on  board,  and  submitted  to  various  practical 
tests,  by  Mr.  Dinwoodie,  our  chief  engineer.  It  was  of  jet-black 
colour,  and  glistening  appearance  ;  leaving  a  faint  black  mark  on 
rubbing.  S.  G.  =  v>,.  It  contained  sulphur  and  iron,  burned  with 
very  little  smoke,  and  produced  a  rust-coloured  ash,  which  formed 


Aitiinai  Life.  133 

a  proportion  of  1 8  per  cent.  When  used  in  the  furnace,  it  formed 
large  caky  masses  of  a  hard  tenacious  clinker,  which  adhered  to 
the  fire-bars,  and  so  clogged  the  fires  that  it  was  found  impossible 
to  raise  steam  to  more  than  thirty  pounds'  pressure.  In  an  open 
grate  it  burnt  freely  enough,  but  without  giving  out  much  heat. 
It  was,  therefore,  unsuited  for  engines  using  high  pressure  steam 
such  as  ours. 

We  were  much  disappointed  on  learning  that  game  was  now 
very  scarce  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  settlement,  and  that 
as  a  matter  of  fact  the  miners  were  victualled  on  salt  and  pre- 
served meats.  Beyond  a  range  of  five  miles,  deer,  guanacoes, 
ostriches,  and  wild  cattle  might  be  had,  but  could  not  be  taken 
without  the  aid  of  horses,  with  which  useful  animals  the  settlers 
were  at  present  (apparently  through  pecuniary  embarrassments) 
unprovided.  Foxes  were  abundant  in  the  forest,  and  at  night 
time  prowled  about  the 'settlement,  while  recently  a  puma  had 
paid  it  a  nocturnal  visit,  to  the  great  alarm  of  the  pigs  and  other 
domestic  animals.  We  walked  into  the  "  camp,"  to  a  distance  of 
about  five  miles  from  the  settlement,  and  were  surprised  at  the 
scarcity  of  birds.  We  saw,  however,  a  flock  of  black-necked  swans, 
numbering  about  sixty,  in  the  water  near  the  seashore,  but  found 
them  too  wary  for  us.  A  paroquet,  a  few  starlings,  a  finch,  a 
wren,  a  buzzard,  and  the  ubiquitous  cinclodes  were  the  only  land- 
birds  seen.  On  subsequently  penetrating  into  the  forest  in  the 
rear  of  the  settlement,  I  saw  many  examples  of  a  bird  of  the 
"tree-creeper"  family,  which  the  Chilians  call  "  carpintero,"  from 
its  habit  of  making  a  "tap-tap"  sound  when  digging  its  bill  against 
the  bark  of  trees,  in  pursuit  of  the  insect-larva  on  which  it  feeds. 
These  birds  behave  in  many  respects  like  wood-peckers,  producing 
a  similar  noise,  using  the  same  food,  travelling  over  the  boles  of 
the  trees  in  a  spiral  fashion,  and  creeping  with  ease  along  the 
under  surface  of  horizontal  branches.  I  shot  two  of  them  when 
in  the  position  last-mentioned,  and  noticed  that  for  some  seconds 
after  they  had   been   shot   they  remained  suspended  by  the  legs, 


134  Cruise  of  the  "A/erl^ 

with  the  heads  hanj^ing  vertically  downwards,  until  the  complete 
relaxation  of  the  muscles  allowed  them  to  fall.  The  toes,  of 
which  there  are  three  directed  forwards  and  one  backwards,  are 
furnished  with  long  and  sharp  claws.  The  bill  is  long,  stout,  and 
pyramidal,  and  the  shafts  of  the  tail-feathers  project  bcj-ond  the 
webs. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  a  small  party  of  us  got  the  use  of  one 
of  the  steam-cutters,  and  made  a  trip  to  Altamirano  Bay,  an 
anchorage  about  seven  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  "  bay  of  the 
mines,"  which  was  originally  explored  and  sur\'eyed  by  the  Chilian 
vessel  Magellaiies.  We  reached  the  bay  after  steaming  for  two 
hours  against  a  westerly  breeze  and  chopping  sea,  and  landed  on 
its  western  shore.  Here  we  found  an  open  grassland  interspersed 
with  clumps  of  low  trees  and  bushes,  among  which  the  most 
abundant  were  an  embothrium,  a  panax,  an  escallonia,  a  berberis, 
a  chcilobothrium,  and  the  black  currant  of  Magellan — the  Ribes 
Alagcllauica.  The  tree-clumps  showed  evident  signs  of  their  being 
the  resting-places  of  wild  cattle  and  horses,  of  which  we  saw  also 
numerous  tracks  in  the  open ;  none,  however,  being  of  recent  date. 
We  could  find  no  fresh  water  of  any  kind,  and  therefore  concluded 
that  the  deer,  guanacoes,  ostriches,  and  horses,  which  were  reported 
to  be  abundant  here,  had  gone  up  the  hills  during  this  dry  season, 
and  only  resorted  to  the  lowlands  hereabouts  during  the  winter 
time.  There  was  certainly  splendid  pasturage  for  them,  and  I 
was  much  struck  by  the  abundance  and  variety  of  the  grasses. 
The  land-birds  were  similar  to  those  noticed  previously  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  coal-mines.  The  plain  of  grass-covered  land 
over  which  we  walked  seemed  to  extend  for  a  long  way  to  the 
westward,  but  from  the  head  of  the  bay  a  dense  forest  of  beech- 
trees  stretched  away  to  the  northward. 

Skirting  the  shore  of  the  bay,  although  overgrown  with  scrub 
and  forest,  were  two  distinct  terraced  levels,  which  testified  to  an 
upraising  of  the  land.  The  rock  formation,  as  far  as  could  be 
judged  from  the  rock  /'//  situ  visible  on  the  foreshore,  was  a  clayey 


Prospects  of  the  Settlement.  135 

sandstone,  devoid  of  fossils,  and  bedded  horizontally.  Erratic 
boulders  of  syenite  and  gneiss — some  of  considerable  size — lay 
scattered  about  the  beach. 

The  shores  of  the  bay  indicated  a  scanty  littoral  marine  fauna. 
Shells  of  a  small  mussel  were  sparsely  strewn  about,  and  were  the 
only  molluscan  remains  noticed.  The  debris  of  a  small,  reddish 
alga  was  strewn  along  the  beach  in  undulating  lines  ;  but  no  kelp 
was  seen  at  all,  either  on  the  shore  or  adhering  to  submerged 
rocks. 

During  our  four  hours'  stay,  very  little  change  was  noticed  in 
the  level  of  the  tide,  an  argument  rather  against  the  likelihood  of 
a  channel  existing  to  connect  Skyring  Water  with  the  ocean  to  the 
westward. 

In  the  meantime  those  on  board  the  ship  were  engaged  in 
coaling.  We  purchased  twenty-five  tons  of  the  new  coal  at  £  I 
a  ton,  a  quantity  quite  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  test  practically 
its  value.  The  mining  engineer.  Monsieur  Arnaud,  was  of  opinion 
that  on  sinking  deeper  into  the  coal-seam  a  better  quality  would 
be  met  with.  The  present  workings  are  at  a  depth  of  only  thirty- 
six  feet  from  the  surface,  and  as  the  angle  of  dip  is  about  45°,  it 
is  not  improbable  that  on  sinking  a  deeper  shaft  his  expectations 
may  be  realized.  Should  this  be  the  case,  the  long-cherished 
scheme  of  establishing  tug-steamers  in  the  straits  to  tow  sailing 
vessels  from  ocean  to  ocean,  will  probably  be  revived,  and  a  great 
impetus  will  thus  be  given  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan  as  an 
avenue  for  commerce.  Moreover,  should  a  permanent  settlement 
be  established  at  the  Skyring  Water  coal-mines,  intending  colonists 
will  find  in  the  surrounding  country  a  splendid  field  for  their 
energies.  The  soil  of  the  pampas  is  of  excellent  quality,  for  from 
its  proximity  to  the  Cordillera,  where  the  eastern  drifting  Pacific 
clouds  deposit  their  watery  contents,  it  receives  enough  moisture 
to  remove  from  it  that  arid  dryness  which  has  rendered  the  eastern 
part  of  Patagonia  unsuited  for  the  agriculturist.  There  is  at 
present  excellent  pasturage  for  cattle,  and   from  all  that  we  know 


136  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

of  the  climate,  I  see  no  reason  why  cereal  crops  should  not 
flourish.  The  day,  I  trust,  is  not  far  distant  when  this  part  of 
Western  Patagonia  will  prove  a  fertile  field  of  labour  for  the  stock 
farmer  and  the  agriculturist. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  8th  of  March  we  again  weighed  anchor, 
and  steamed  over  to  the  Fitzroy  Channel,  anchoring  for  the  night 
at  a  place  in  the  fair^vay  about  five  miles  from  the  north  entrance. 
Some  of  our  officers  were  now  employed  for  an  hour  or  two  in 
sounding  out  the  channel,  while  others,  more  fortunate,  amused 
themselves  by  waging  war  against  the  brown  ducks  {Anas  cristatd), 
and  black-necked  swans  {Cygnns  nigricollis),  which  were  abundant 
enough,  but  more  wary  than  on  our  first  meeting  them.  I  did 
not  see  a  single  specimen  of  the  Cygiins  coscoroba.  On  the  western, 
or  Fuegian  shore,  the  recent  tracks  of  a  deer  were  seen  by  one  of 
our  party. 

We  got  under  way  early  on  the  following  morning,  and  after 
passing  through  the  Fitzroy  Channel,  recrosscd  Otway  Water,  and 
re-entered  the  Jerome  Channel.  On  the  south  shore  of  this  latter 
we  noticed  a  large  fur  seal  "  rookery"  {i.e.,  breeding  place),  and 
stopped  to  examine  it  for  some  minutes.  There  were  about 
thirty  large  seals  hauled  up  on  the  rocks,  besides  a  large  number 
that  were  swimming  about  in  the  adjoining  water.  Some  of  those 
on  the  rock  were  hauled  up  about  thirty  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
We  fired  a  shell  into  their  midst  at  about  800  yards  range,  which 
had  the  effect  of  making  them  tumble  off  hurriedly  into  the 
water,  where  they  made  a  great  tumult,  turning  somersaults  and 
jumping  clear  out  of  the  water,  after  the  usual  manner  of  fur  seals. 
The  seals  in  this  rookery  were  probably  congregated  for  the  hair- 
shedding  season.  Later  in  the  evening  we  reached  our  former 
anchorage  in  Tilly  Bay,  where  we  came  to  an  anchor  for  the 
night. 

Swalloiv  Bay,  wih  to  2^tk  of  March. — We  steamed  over  to 
this  anchorage,  which  lies  a  few  miles  to  the  west  of  Tilly  Bay,  in 
continuation  of  our  surveying  work.     A  most  curious  and  inte- 


A    Widely- Distributed  Fish.  137 

resting  fish  {Neophrynicthys  latiis)  was  here  obtained.  It  was 
brought  to  me  by  one  of  our  seamen,  who  found  it  lying  dead  on 
the  beach,  and  bearing  marks  of  having  been  torn  by  vultures. 
Of  this  fish,  which  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Hutton  a  few  years  ago 
in  New  Zealand,  Dr.  Giinther  says  that  it  only  differs  from  the 
New  Zealand  specimen  in  colouration,  and  in  the  presence  of 
small  tentacles,  which  are  developed  over  the  eye  and  on  some 
parts  of  the  body. 

One  day,  when  paddling  round  a  small  rocky  islet,  we  saw 
perched  on  a  stone,  and  apparently  sleeping,  as  it  remained 
motionless  with  bill  resting  on  the  stone,  a  large  snipe  [Galliuago 
stricklandi),  one  of  the  very  few  examples  of  the  species  which 
were  observed  during  our  cruise.      It  was  shot  and  preserved. 

Two  mammalians  were  also  obtained  at  Swallow  Bay.  One 
was  the  common  Magellan  otter  [Lntra  fcUnd),  the  other  a  nutria 
[R'lyopotainiis  coypii). 

On  March  25th,  our  supply  of  coal  running  short,  it  was  decided 
to  conclude  our  survey  of  Magellan  Straits,  and  to  proceed  north- 
wards, vi&  Smyth's  Channel,  to  Puerto  Bueno.  There  we  took 
on  board  the  residue  of  a  depot  of  coal  which  had  been  made  for 
us  during  the  previous  season,  and  continued  to  pursue  our  way 
northwards,  stopping  for  the  nights  at  various  anchorages.  On 
April  2nd,  we  passed  our  old  cruising  ground  in  the  Trinidad 
Channel,  and  entered  Wide  Channel,  proceeding  from  thence  vid 
Indian  Reach. 

As  we  passed  the  entrance  of  Icy  Inlet,  we  saw  large  patches 
of  loose  berg-ice  floating  tranquilly  over  its  surface,  and  evidently 
derived  from  the  glacier  at  its  head.  Contrary  to  our  expecta- 
tions. Eyre  Sound  was  almost  clear  of  ice,  only  a  single  small 
floating  piece  being  seen  ;  but  to  repay  us  for  this  disappointment 
we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  magnificent  glacier  at  its  head. 

Port  Riofrio,  yd  to  lOtk  of  April. — We  were  detained  for 
a  week  at  this  port,  while  our  surveyors  were  occupied  in  exam- 
ining   the    rocks    and    islets    of   the    neighbouring    "  Covadonga 


138  Cruise  of  the  "Alerir 

Group,"  of  which  the  survey — commenced  by  the  Chilians — was 
as  yet  incomplete.  Port  Riofrio  is  situated  on  the  eastern  side 
of  Wellington  Island,  and  derives  its  name  from  a  large  moun- 
tain torrent  which  pours  its  water  into  the  bay  nearly  opposite 
to  the  entrance,  for  which  it  also  forms  one  of  the  principal 
leading  marks.  On  the  western  side  of  the  anchorage,  and  form- 
ing a  sort  of  mighty  dam  across  the  valley  through  which  this 
torrent  flows,  is  a  remarkable  raised  beach,  whose  brow  stretches 
horizontally  from  ridge  to  ridge,  its  continuity  being  only  broken 
by  a  narrow  fissure  through  which  the  torrent  rushes,  descending 
thence  by  a  series  of  cascades  to  the  sea.  Inside  this  barrier 
the  land  slopes  gradually  but  slightly  downward  to  an  extensive 
plateau,  which  forms  the  bed  of  the  valley  between  the  two  moun- 
tain ranges.  Opinions  differed  on  board  as  to  whether  this 
barrier  was  a  raised  beach  or  an  old  terminal  moraine  ;  but  I 
inclined  to  the  former  view,  from  the  fact  of  its  brow  being  so 
regular  and  horizontal,  from  its  stretching  evenly  from  hill  to  hill, 
from  the  absence  of  any  vestige  of  lateral  moraine  on  the  hill- 
sides, and  from  the  slight  difference  in  actual  level  between  the 
brow  of  the  barrier  and  the  general  surface  of  the  plain  within. 
It  was  covered  with  the  usual  swampy  soil-cap,  and  the  plain  was 
for  the  most  part  occupied  by  an  extensive  swamp.  Here  I 
collected  fine  fruiting  specimens  of  a  handsome  velvety  moss, 
Tetraplodon  mnioides,  of  a  rich  green  colour,  which  I  have  before 
alluded  to  as  forming  curious  tufts  on  the  summits  of  boulders, 
on  rocky  pinnacles,  and  on  the  stumps  of  dead  trees. 

On  the  shores  of  this  anchorage  grew  several  plants  which  we 
had  not  previously  seen  in  the  Straits.  Among  these  was  the 
Mitraria  cocciiiea,  a  climbing  shrub,  easily  recognised  by  its  dark- 
green  glossy  ovate-acute  leaves,  and  short  tubular  scarlet  flowers. 
Another  was  the  Weinmannia  trichosperma,  a  tall  erect  shrub  with 
serrated  pinnate  leaves,  and  jointed  petioles  winged  in  a  curious 
rhomboidal  fashion.  I  was  in  hopes  of  finding  here  the  beautiful 
Hymenophyllum  crucnttim,  which  we  obtained  last  year  at  an  island 


A  New  Frog — Gray  Harbour.  139 

in  the  English  Narrows,  some  miles  to  the  northward,  but  was 
disappointed,  its  range  probably  not  extending  so  far  south. 

Two  animals  new  to  science  were  here  obtained,  viz.,  a  small 
frog  of  a  dirty  yellow  colour,  which  has  since  been  described  by 
Dr.  Giinther  as  a  new  species  of  "  Cacotus"  and  an  Uncinated 
calamary,  which  has  since  been  examined  by  Mr.  Edgar  Smith, 
and  found  to  represent  a  new  species,  to  which  he  assigns  the 
name  "  Onycliotcutlus  iiigcns"  The  last-mentioned  specimen  was 
found  stranded  on  the  beach.  The  body,  from  oral  aperture  to 
extremity  of  caudal  appendage,  measured  fifteen  inches,  and  the 
total  length  from  caudal  appendage  to  anterior  extremity  of 
tentacles  was  two  feet  nine  inches.  The  tentacular  hooks  were 
very  formidable.  No  other  example  of  this  species  of  squid  was 
encountered. 

Having  completed  the  survey  of  the  Covadonga  Group,  we 
again  proceeded  on  our  way  northwards.  On  the  first  night  we 
stopped  at  Gray  Harbour,  a  port  immediately  to  the  northward 
of  the  English  Narrows.  As  soon  as  we  had  anchored.  Lieutenant 
Rooper  and  I  took  advantage  of  the  few  reinaining  hours  of 
twilight  and  started  off  in  the  skiff,  directing  our  course  towards 
the  head  of  the  bay,  where  a  fair-sized  river  entered  the  sea.  We 
proceeded  up  the  river  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  finding  its 
banks  composed  of  a  bluish  clay,  and  passing  at  its  mouth  a  low 
triangular  island,  which  seemed  to  be  a  delta  formed  of  clay  and 
sand  washed  down  from  the  hills,  and  piled  up  here  at  the  outlet 
where  the  fresh  water  flow  was  dammed  up  in  a  measure  by  its 
contact  with  the  sea.  On  the  pebbly  shores  of  the  river  we 
picked  up  several  specimens  of  a  pond  snail — a  species  of  Chilinia, 
I  believe ;  and  on  working  a  light  dredge  in  mid-stream,  we 
obtained  many  more  specimens  of  the  same.  The  location  was 
one  eminently  suggestive  of  the  haunts  of  otters,  nutria,  and 
water-fowl,  but  not  a  solitary  animal  of  the  kind  was  to  be  seen. 
The  disappointment,  however,  was  one  which  our  experience  of 
similar    and    equally   tempting    localities    had    taught    us    to    be 


140  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert:' 

prepared  for.  The  surrounding  country  bore  recent  signs  of 
having  been  devastated  by  a  great  fire,  the  mountain  sides  for 
miles  being  covered  with  the  charred  remains  of  a  dense  forest. 

Owing  to  its  proximity  to  the  English  Narrows,  Gray  Harbour 
is  probably  frequently  used  as  a  stopping  place  by  passing 
steamers,  whose  occupants  amuse  themselves  by  firing  the  forest. 
It  's  rarely  indeed  in  this  habitually  wet  region  that  the  forest 
is  suiificiently  dry  to  allow  a  fire  to  spread  over  any  great  extent 
of  country. 

We  got  under  way  at  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning 
(April  I  ith).  It  was  a  fine  clear  day,  and  the  channels  showed  to 
great  advantage,  so  that  we  were  able  once  more  to  confirm  the 
remark  of  old  Pigafetta,  that  in  fine  weather  there  is  in  no  part 
of  the  world  scenerj'  more  lovely.  At  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  we  anchored  at  Hale  Cove,  a  port  situated  close  to  the 
northern  outlet  of  the  Patagonian  Channels,  and  here  for  the  last 
lime  we  anchored  in  Patagonian  waters.  Rain  awnings  were  now 
stowed  away,  top-gallant  masts  were  sent  up,  boats  were  topped 
and  lashed,  and  all  other  requisite  arrangements  were  made  for 
our  final  departure  from  the  Magellan  region,  and  for  encounter- 
ing the  long  heavy  ocean  swell  which  we  were  sure  to  find  await- 
ing us  to  seaward. 

I  had  a  run  on  shore  for  a  few  hours  before  nightfall,  and  was 
much  gratified  at  finding  two  plants  which  I  had  not  previously 
met  with  in  these  channels.  One  was  a  tall  branching  fern  of 
the  genus  Alsopliila,  whose  long  slender  woody  stems,  rising 
obliquely  from  the  ground  to  a  height  of  six  feet,  were  crowned 
with  a  magnificent  spray  of  dark-green  glossy  fronds.  The  other 
was  a  shrub  of  creeping  habit,  probably  of  the  family  I'acciiiiacea, 
with  smooth  ovate-acute  leaves  resembling  those  of  the  laurel, 
and  bearing  clusters  of  an  egg-shaped  fruit.  No  flowering 
specimens  were  seen.  The  trunks  of  the  large  trees  were 
clothed  with  the  beautiful  fronds  of  the  delicate  Hymcnophyllum 
cruaitum,\\\i\K.\v  here  grows  in  great   abundance.  On  the  morning 


Small  Pax.  141 

of  the  1 2th  of  April  we  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the  Patagonian 
Channels. 

During  our  passage  northwards  along  the  Chilian  coast,  sea- 
birds  of  various  kinds  hovered  round  us.  Of  these  our  most 
constant  companions  were  the  Cape  pigeons  {Dapteon  Capensis), 
albatrosses  of  two  species  {Diomedea  fuliginosa  and  D.  Mclano- 
phrys),  a  small  storm-petrel  {Oceanitcs  grallarid),  a  Fulmar  petrel 
{TJiallascEca  glacialoides),  and  a  white-breasted  petrel  {CEstrdata 
defippiand).  A  brown  skua  {Lcstris  antarcticd)  appeared  on  the 
scene  now  and  then,  creating  consternation  among  the  smaller 
petrels. 

We  arrived  at  Talcahuano,  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the 
Chilian  ports,  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  April,  and  were 
surprised  and  grieved  to  hear  that  a  severe  epidemic  of  small 
pox  prevailed  at  the  town  of  Concepcion,  some  nine  miles  inland. 
The  epidemic  had  begun  in  January,  and  we  were  informed  by 
Mr.  Elton,  the  British  Vice-Consul,  that  since  then  no  less  than 
1,500  deaths  had  occurred,  the  mortality  of  those  attacked  having 
been  at  the  extraordinarily  high  rate  of  90  per  cent.  Ominous 
rumours  reaching  us  as  to  the  epidemic  having  already  extended 
to  Talcahuano,  our  stay  was  wisely  cut  short,  and  the  vessel  was 
moved  on  to  Valparaiso,  and  subsequently  after  a  short  stay  to 
Coquimbo. 

The  passage  from  Valparaiso  to  Coquimbo  occupied  two  days. 
As  we  were  sitting  at  dinner  on  the  evening  of  the  3rd  of  May, 
the  officer  of  the  watch  reported  that  the  ship  was  moving  through 
patches  of  light-coloured  stuff  resembling  shoal  water.  On  going 
on  deck,  we  saw  wavy  bands  of  straw-coloured  water,  about  one 
hundred  yards  in  length  by  twenty  in  width,  which  were  plainly 
visible  through  the  gloom  of  the  night,  the  light-coloured  patches 
having  distinctly  circumscribed  margins,  which  showed  out  clearly 
against  the  surrounding  dark  water.  At  the  same  time,  the  sea 
in  our  wake  was  brilliantly  phosphorescent.  On  plying  the  tow- 
net   for    a   few  minutes,  I   obtained   a  quantity  of  entomostracous 


142  Cruise  0/  the  "AkrC'' 

crustaceans,  and  mingled  with  them  a  number  of  milk- coloured 
annelids,  a  species  of  tomopteris,  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in 
length.  A  fringe  of  lateral  appendages  bordered  its  long,  slender 
body,  from  whose  anterior  extremity  projected  two  long  antennae, 
curv'ing  gracefully  upwards  and  backwards.  There  were  fifteen 
pairs  of  parapodia,  the  ends  of  which  were  furnished  with  tufts 
of  cirri,  which  acted  as  swimming  paddles  for  propulsion. 

Our  stay  at  Coquimbo  this  season  extended  from  the  4th  of 
May  to  the  14th  of  June,  ha\-ing  been  somewhat  prolonged  owing 
to  the  occurrence  of  a  case  of  small-pox  on  board.  Our  principal 
amusement  consisted  in  shooting  excursions  after  the  golden 
plover,  or  "  pachuros,"  as  the  Chilians  call  them.  These  birds 
frequent  the  sandy  plains,  which  form  an  elevated  table  land, 
fringing  the  bases  of  the  coast  range  of  hills.  One  of  our 
shooting-grounds  was  on  a  rather  bare  plain,  encircling  the  base 
of  a  pyramidal  hill  called  the  Pan  de  Azucar,  which  lay  at  a 
distance  of  about  eight  miles  from  Coquimbo.  It  was  a  great 
undulating  plain  of  waste  sandy  ground,  with  stunted  shrubs 
growing  here  and  there,  but  not  affording  any  cover.  Walking 
over  it  was  laborious,  for  the  ground  was  almost  everywhere 
riddled  with  the  burrows  of  the  upiicertJiia,  a  sort  of  ant-thrush, 
which  seems  to  make  extensive  underground  tunnels  in  search  of 
insect  larvie.  I  obtained  a  specimen,  and  found  its  stomach 
crammed  full  of  insects.  This  bird  is  smaller  than  the  U.  diime- 
toria,  and  has  a  much  shorter  bill  ;  moreover,  in  flying,  the 
secondary  feathers,  which  are  of  a  brick-red  colour,  are  very 
conspicuous.  Sometimes,  when  walking  over  a  riddled  patch  of 
ground,  one  heard  a  curious  half-smothered  "  took,  took,"  not 
unlike  the  cry  of  a  ctenomys  ;  and  on  treading  firmly  over  the 
place  from  whence  the  noise  seemed  to  issue,  no  sound  would  be 
audible  for  a  minute  or  two,  when  the  same  noise  would  go  on 
again  from  a  place  a  yard  or  so  away.  The  bird,  of  course,  had 
moved  along,  for  the  tunnels  communicate  so  that  it  is  able  to 
travel  underground   over   a  considerable  area.     The  burrows  of 


Habits  of  Aid-  Thrush. 


143 


the  ctenomys  are  larger  and  otherwise  different  from  those  now 
referred  to.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  birds  were  not  at  all 
shy,  allowing  one  to  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  them.  These 
are  gregarious — at  least  at  this  time  of  the  year — moving  in 
flocks  from  place  to  place  over  the  sandy  plain  ;  and  it  was 
sometimes  rather  astonishing  to  see  a  flock  suddenly  emerge  from 
a  number  of  burrow  openings,  and  rise  on  the  wing  from  a  bare 
sandy  patch  of  ground,  where  a  moment  previously  there  had 
been   no  sign   of  life. 


^ 

Y'1 

\ 

ll 

1.1 

yl 

q^  m~  \ 

^W 

FISH-HOOKS   OF    ONION 
ISLANDERS  (»«/.    157). 


CHAPTER   VII. 

TAHITI.— NASSA  U  ISLAND.— UNION  GROUP. 

WE  sailed  from  Coquimbo  on  the  14th  of  June;  and  after 
a  somewhat  uneventful  voyage  across  the  Pacific,  which 
was  considerably  prolonged  by  sounding  operations,  and  which 
lasted  fifty-three  days,  we  arrived  at  Tahiti. 

Tahiti  was  discovered,  in  the  year  1606,  by  a  Spanish  exploring 
expedition,  which  set  out  from  Peru  under  the  command  of  Pedro 
Fernandez  de  Quiros,  a  navigator  who  had  previously  acquired 
some  renown  in  Mendana's  exploration  of  the  New  Hebrides 
group.  One  of  his  vessels  anchored  for  a  short  time  off  the 
island  ;  but  as  a  landing  could  not  be  safely  effected  by  means 
of  the  ship's  boats,  an  adventurous  young  Spanish  sailor  stripped 
and  swam  to  the  shore,  where  he  was  well  received  by  the 
natives ;  so  that  the  honour  of  having  discovered  Tahiti  and 
communicated  with  the  natives  is  justly  due  to  this  expedition. 
The  name  then  given  to  the  island  by  Quiros  was  "La  Sagittaria." 

In  1767  Tahiti  was  visited  by  an  English  exploring  ship,  the 
Dolphin,  commanded  by  Captain  Wallis,  who,  unaware  of  the  visit 
of  Quiros,  and  imagining  himself  to  be  the  original  discoverer,  set 
up  an  English  flag  at  Matavai  Bay,  took  possession  in  the  name 
of  King  George  III.,  and  named  the  island  "King  George's 
Island."  The  account  given  by  Wallis  of  this  visit  (published  in 
Hawksworth's  "Voyages")  is  full  of  most  curious  and  interesting 
information,  and  perhaps  in  this  respect  equals  the  well-known 


WOMAN    OF    TAHITI  (/      I47N 

\Tl>   fMi  p.    144- 


Early  History  of  Tahiti.  145 

narrative  subsequently  given  to  tlic  world  by  our  greatest  navi- 
gator, Cook. 

In  the  following  year  (1768),  M.  de  Bougainville,  of  the  French 
frigate  Boiidense,  arrived  independently  at  Tahiti,  and,  being  in 
ignorance  of  the  priority  of  Spanish  and  English  explorers,  gave 
to  the  island  its  third  name,  "  Nouvelle  Cythere." 

On  the  1 2th  of  April,  1769,  the  expedition  sent  out  from 
England  under  the  command  of  Captain  Cook,  to  observe  the 
transit  of  Venus,  arrived  at  Tahiti,  and  anchored  at  Matavai  Bay. 
To  protect  the  astronomers  from  the  intrusion  of  the  natives,  a 
small  fort  was  erected  on  the  north  shore  of  the  bay,  and  from 
this  position  the  transit  was  observed  on  the  3rd  of  June  of  the 
same  year. 

Through  a  misconception  of  the  native  pronunciation,  the  name 
of  the  island,  "  Otaheitc,"  was  now  brought  into  general  use  by 
Cook  ;  and  although  it  was  clearly  pointed  out  by  Ellis — the 
missionary  who  wrote  in  1832 — that  Tahiti  was  really  the  native 
name,  the  term  "Otaheitc,"  erroneously  assigned  by  Cook,  remained 
in  use  for  many  years  subsequent  to  the  time  of  Ellis. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  English  mis- 
sionaries, who  had  previously  established  themselves  in  Western 
Polynesia,  extended  their  labours  to  Tahiti,  where  they  met  with 
great  success  in  their  efforts  to  Christianize  the  inhabitants.  They 
retained  their  influence  over  the  natives  until  the  year  1838, 
when  two  French  Catholic  missionaries  arrived  at  Tahiti,  with  the 
intention  of  preaching  the  doctrines  of  their  Church.  They  were 
not,  however,  allowed  to  obtain  a  footing  on  the  island,  but  were 
forcibly  expelled.  They  accordingly  sought  the  protection  of  the 
French  admiral,  Du  Petit  Thouars,  then  commanding  the  frigate 
La  Venus  in  the  Pacific,  and  in  the  year  1842  he  demanded 
satisfaction  in  the  name  of  his  government;  and  on  Queen  Pomare 
of  Tahiti  refusing  to  accede  to  his  demand,  he  declared  war 
against  the  Tahitians.  The  islanders  were  compelled  to  submit 
to  the  superior   power  of  the  French  ;    and  on  coming  to   terms 

10 


146  Cruise  of  the  ''Alerts 

with  their  conquerors,  it  was  agreed  that  the  Taliitians  should  be 
allowed  to  retain  their  own  form  of  government,  but  under  a 
French  Protectorate,  and  that  freedom  should  be  given  to  all 
persons  to  practise  or  preach  whatever  religion  they  pleased. 

The  Protectorate  continued  in  force  until  July  i8So,  when,  at 
the  request  of  King  Pomare  V.  and  the  native  chiefs,  the  island 
and  its  dependencies  were  definitely  ceded  to  France,  so  that  they 
now  form  an  integral  part  of  the  French  Republic. 

Our  visit  to  Tahiti  took  place  a  few  weeks  after  the  French 
annexation.  At  daybreak  on  the  6th  August,  1880,  we  sighted 
the  south-eastern  extremity  of  the  island,  and  on  closing  the  land 
skirted  along  its  north-east  coast,  having  thus  on  our  port  hand  a 
magnificent  panoramic  view  of  this  lovely  island.  As  we  passed 
abreast  of  some  of  the  deeper  valleys,  we  got  glimpses  of  the  famous 
Diadem  Peak,  which  rises  to  an  altitude  of  7,000  feet.  Its  summit 
is  jagged,  so  as  to  present  a  very  distinct  resemblance  to  a  royal 
crown,  and  hence  the  name  "crown"  or  "diadem"  so  aptly  assigned. 
I  was  much  struck  by  the  resemblance  which  the  scenery  here 
presented  to  that  of  Madeira.  The  conformation  of  the  volcanic 
peaks  and  ridges  is  very  similar,  but  the  vegetable  covering  is  of 
a  sap  green  tint,  whereas  that  of  Madeira,  seen  from  a  similar 
distance,  appears  of  a  bronze  hue.  At  the  distance  from  the  land 
which  the  barrier  reef  obliged  us  to  maintain,  the  belt  of  cocoa- 
nut  trees  which  covers  the  shore  platform  was  only  visible  through 
the  telescope. 

In  the  harbour  of  Papi^td,  where  we  anchored,  were  the  French 
flagship  Victoriensc,  an  ironclad,  and  a  wooden  sloop  the  Dayot. 
Here  we  had  abundant  evidence  of  the  extreme  care  taken  by  the 
French  Government  to  render  the  harbour  and  its  surroundings  as 
perfect  in  every  respect  as  a  lavish  expenditure  of  money  could 
effect.  A  solidlj'-built  seawall,  alongside  of  which  merchant 
vessels  were  landing  and  shipping  cargoes,  fronted  the  settlement; 
a  neatly-kept  alameda,  shaded  by  the  luxuriant  foliage  of  large 
Hibiscus  trees,  covered   what   was   formerly  the  coral  foreshore  ; 


A'atives  of  Tahiti.  147 

broad  streets  running  in  at  right  angles  to  the  wharf  traversed  the 
town  ;  a  dockyard  with  spacious  sheds  and  storehouses  covered 
a  low  point  jutting  out  on  the  northern  side  of  the  harbour  ;  and 
on  a  small  picturesque  island  lying  near  the  entrance  was  a  gun 
battery  nestling  under  tall  cocoa-nut  trees,  and  yet  so  constructed 
as  not  to  detract  from  the  romantic  appearance  of  this  beautiful 
and  marvellous  work  of  nature.  The  Tahitians  still  retain  and 
deserve  their  old  reputation  for  great  amiability  of  disposition  and 
extraordinary  good  humour.  One  is  greeted  by  almost  every 
native  passed  on  the  road  with  the  friendly  salutation  "Yoronha" 
(meaning  "good-day"),  accompanied  by  a  merry  smile.  Indeed, 
one  cannot  help  being  struck  by  the  number  of  smiling,  laughing 
faces  seen  at  Tahiti,  and  to  my  mind  there  is  nothing  more  charac- 
teristic of  the  Tahitians,  as  distinguished  from  all  other  islanders, 
than  the  ever  smiling  face  reflecting  genuine  good  humour  for 
which  there  is  no  apparent  cause.  In  many  respects,  however, 
they  seem  to  have  improved  but  little  since  the  time  of  Wallis. 
Morality  is  still  at  a  very  low  ebb,  and  the  abuse  of  intoxicating 
drinks  is  an  evil  which  seems  likely  in  time  to  create  sad  havoc 
among  them.  For  unfortunately,  since  the  I'rench  annexation, 
spirit  shops  have  been  thrown  open  to  the  natives,  although,  under 
the  old  missionary  regime,  the  possession  of  spirit  of  any  kind 
was  forbidden  by  the  command  of  Queen  Pomare.  Of  late  years 
the  population  has  been  increasing,  owing  to  the  abolition  of 
infanticide,  which  was  formerly  the  fashion  of  the  country. 

The  principal  products  of  the  island  are  cotton,  sugar,  cocoa- 
nuts,  oranges,  and  vanilla.  These  articles  are  sent  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, with  which  port  there  is  monthly  communication  by  means 
of  sailing  vessels  ;  the  cocoa-nut  trade  being  perhaps  in  this,  as  in 
most  other  Polynesian  islands,  the  most  reliable  industry.  Usually 
the  sun-dried  kernel,  known  commercially  as  "Copra,"  is  exported, 
but  sometimes  the  nuts  are  shipped  entire.  The  cultivation  of 
the  cocoa-nut  tree  does  not  require  much  trouble.  The  ripe  nuts, 
if  exposed  on  the  ground    in   places  where  thev'  are  free  from  the 


148  Cruise  of  the  '' Alert." 

depredations  of  land  crabs  and  centipedes,  readily  germinate,  and 
on  being  planted  at  distances  of  about  five  yards  apart,  they  take 
■  root  and  require  no  further  care.  However,  those  plantctl  in  good 
soil  give,  as  might  be  expected,  an  earlier  and  more  productive 
yield  than  is  afforded  by  trees  grown  in  the  poor  land  which 
usually  adjoins  the  coral  sea-beach.  A  cocoanut  planted  in 
average  soil  commences  to  bear  fruit  in  about  the  fifth  year  of  its 
existence,  and  from  that  time  until  it  has  attained  the  age  of  a 
hundred  years, —  when  it  is  probably  blown  down, — it  yields  about 
twelve  dozen  nuts  per  annum. 

A  large  trade  is  also  done  in  oranges.  They  are  packed  up  in 
boxes  and  shipped  to  San  Francisco,  and  although  about  half  of 
the  cargo  decaj-s  during  the  voyage,  the  profit  derived  from  the 
other  half  is  found  to  yield  a  sufificient  remuneration. 

The  cultivation  of  vanilla^an  introduced  plant — requires  great 
care,  artificial  aid  being  necessary  to  ensure  the  proper  fertilization 
of  the  flowers.  Samples  of  the  cured  bean  which  we  saw  seemed 
to  be  of  very  fair  quality,  and  likely  to  command  high  prices  in 
the  European  markets.  These  are  now  sold  at  Tahiti  at  the  rate 
of  4J.  per  pound  ; — I  should  rather  have  said  at  the  rate  of  a 
dollar  a  pound,  because,  strange  to  say,  the  currency  at  Tahiti  is 
in  Chilian  silver  dollars,  whereas  in  Chili  itself  the  currency  is  now 
almost  entirely  in  paper,  a  hard  dollar  being  very  rarel)'  encoun- 
tered there. 

The  great  war  canoes  are  now  things  of  the  past,  even  the 
single  outrigger  canoes  being  only  used  by  the  poorer  classes 
who  cannot  afford  to  buy  boats  of  European  build.  The  manu- 
facture of  pandanus  mats  and  native  cloth  is  also  becoming 
obsolete,  and  it  is  said  that  the  art  of  making  these  things  is 
almost  unknown  to  the  rising  generation.  At  present  the  favourite 
occupation  of  the  natives,  if  we  exclude  dancing  and  lolling  in  the 
sunshine,  is  fishing  ;  and  a  well-to-do  native,  who  can  afford  to 
provide  himself  with  an  European  fishing  net,  makes  plenty  of 
dollars  to  spend  in  drink  and  gay-coloured  clothes.    The  fishermen 


FISHERMAN    OF    TAHtTT-  1  /.     I48 


Point   Venus.  149 

of  the  poorer  class  paddle  out  on  the  reef  at  night,  and  spear  fish 
by  torchlight  as  of  old,  so  that  every  night  the  reefs  outside  the 
harbour  are  gaily   illumined   by   these   torch   fires. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival  at  Papiete,  I  made  an  excursion 
to  Joint  Venus,  the  northern  extremity  of  Matavai  Bay,  in  com- 
pany with  a  party  of  our  surveying  officers,  who  wished  to  take 
sights  at  this  station  for  chronometric  measurements  of  longitude  ; 
Point  Venus  being  one  of  the  secondary  meridians  to  which  lon- 
gitudes in  the  Pacific  are  referred.  The  distance  from  Papiete  is 
about  six  miles.  We  went  in  one  of  the  ship's  steam  cutters, 
taking  a  small  boat  in  tow ;  and  after  a  somewhat  hazardous 
passage  among  the  reefs,  which  here  form  an  irregular  barrier 
along  the  coast,  we  reached  Matavai  Bay.  We  landed  easily 
upon  a  smooth  sloping  beach  of  black  volcanic  sand — the  detritus 
brought  down  from  the  hills  by  a  neighbouring  stream  ;  and  while 
the*  observers  established  vhemselves  and  their  instruments  on  a 
grass  plot  near  the  base  of  the  lighthouse,  I  took  a  stroll  into  the 
surrounding  country,  having  at  my  disposal  about  five  hours. 

The  French  keeper  of  the  lighthouse,  who  was  most  obliging, 
pointed  out  to  us  a  square  slab  of  coral  rock  imbedded  in  the 
ground,  and  bearing  on  its  surface  a  deeply-chiselled  groove.  It 
was  placed  there  some  ten  years  ago,  to  replace  one  which  had 
been  fixed  there  in  the  year  1839  by  Captain  Wilkes,  of  the 
United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  and  was,  I  understand,  in- 
tended to  assist  in  determining  the  exact  position  of  a  submerged 
coral  knoll,  some  100  yards  from  the  shore,  on  which  measure- 
ments were  made  for  determining  the  rate  of  growth  of  the  coral. 
We  were  also  shown  a  large  and  venerable  tamarind  tree  near  the 
lighthouse,  which  is  said  to  have  been  planted  more  than  100 
years  ago  by  our  own  great  navigator,  Cook.  Cocoanuts,  bread- 
fruit, oranges,  bananas,  and  mangoes,  grew  in  great  profusion,  and 
the  greatest  and  most  good-natured  eagerness  was  shown  by  the 
natives  in  putting  these  delicious  fruits  at  our  disposal. 

Wc  also  saw  a   large   extent   of  cleared    land   devoted   to  the 


150  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert:' 

cultivation  of  cotton    plants,  and   near   one  of  the   native   huts 
vanilla  was  growing  successfully. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  civility  of  the  natives  in  pressing 
food  upon  us,  and  in  furnishing  us  with  information.  .  They  know 
very  little  English,  but  many  of  them  speak  French,  which  the 
rising  generation  are  taught  in  the  government  schools. 

In  one  of  the  larger  and  more  pretentious  style  of  native  huts, 
apparently  that  of  a  district  chief,  we  read  a  proclamation,  printed 
in  French  and  Tahitian  on  opposite  columns,  announcing  to  the 
inhabitants  the  definitive  annexation  of  the  island  and  its  de- 
pendencies ;  and,  after  pointing  out  in  glowing  colours  the  great 
advantages  accruing  to  the  natives  from  the  complete  establish- 
ment of  French  rule,  it  wound  up  with,  "Vive  la  France.  Vive 
Tahiti:' 

One  is  much  struck  by  the  great  scarcity  of  birds  in  Tahiti. 
There  are,  in  fact,  not  more  than  six  species  of  indigenous  birds, 
and  of  these  an  average  day's  walk  will  only  afford  examples 
of  the  swallow ;  although  in  the  mountain  valleys,  paroquets, 
pigeons,  and  kingfishers  are  met  with,  though  rarely. 

In  the  course  of  an  afternoon's  walk  about  the  environs  of 
Papicte,  we  were  accosted  by  a  portly  native  dressed  in  European 
clothes,  who,  sitting  in  a  four-wheeled  bugg)',  and  accompanied  by 
three  native  attendants,  pulled  up  abreast  of  us.  At  his  feet  he 
had  a  large  demijohn  of  wine,  from  which  he  had  evidently  been 
imbibing  freely,  for  by  way  of  salutation  he  greeted  us  with  a 
volley  of  most  disgusting  oaths  and  imprecations.  This  seemed 
to  be  all  the  English  he  was  acquainted  with.  A  bystander  in- 
formed us  that  the  name  of  this  native  gentleman  was  "Tamitao," 
and  that  he  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  brother  of  King 
Pomare  V.,  the  present  monarch.  The  latter  now  only  possesses 
a  nominal  sovereignty ;  for  on  ceding  his  possessions  to  the 
French,  he  relinquished  all  monarchical  authority,  and  receives 
instead  an  annual  stipend  of  8,000  dollars,  a  pension  which,  wc 
were  told,  would  not  be  continued  to  his  heir.      It  is  said   but 


A  Royal  Prince — Annexation  Fcstiviliis.  151 

I  know  not  with  what  truth,  that  one  of  the  principal  reasons 
which  induced  him  to  sell  his  birthright  was  a  desire  to  exclude 
from  the  succession  his  nominal  son,  whom  he  believes  to  be 
illegitimate.  Our  conference  with  the  royal  brother  was  not  an 
agreeable  one,  for  he  presently  gathered  up  the  reins,  and  amid 
a  volley  of  imprecations  delivered  in  the  coarsest  style  of  Billings- 
gate English,  this  tatterdemalion  prince  of  an  ancient  dynasty 
flogged  his  horses  into  a  gallop,  and  rattled  away  on  his  drunken 
career. 

On  the  evening  before  our  departure  we  were  present  at  a  ball 
which  was  given  at  the  royal  palace  by  the  French  inhabitants  of 
Tahiti.  It  was  intended  to  celebrate  the  annexation  of  the  island 
by  France,  and  was  supposed  to  be  the  occasion  for  mutual 
congratulations  between  King  Pomare  and  his  chiefs  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Governor  and  French  Admiral  on  the  other. 
Pomare  was  attired  in  a  gorgeous  dress  richly  embroidered  with 
gold  lace,  and  the  French  officials  appeared  in  full  dress.  The 
native  chiefs  were,  however,  very  shabbily  turned  out  in  faded 
European  clothes,  and  although  for  the  most  part  very  fine  men, 
yet  they  looked  very  much  as  if  they  were  ashamed  of  them- 
selves, and  were  by  no  means  at  their  ease  in  the  richly-decorated 
ball-room.  Among  the  quasi  chiefs  was  "  Paofai,"  an  old  gentleman 
who  did  duty  as  our  washerman,  wearing  a  black  alpaca  monkey- 
jacket,  and  carrying  under  his  arm  a  large  white  sun-helmet, 
which  he  seemingly  thought  a  becoming  addition  to  his  otherwise 
somewhat  incongruous  attire.  He  and  his  confrb-es  would  have 
shown  to  much  more  advantage  in  their  ordinary  native  costume. 
Supper  began  about  midnight,  and  it  was  then,  and  not  till  then, 
that  the  roj'al  family  and  chiefs  seemed  to  flourish  in  their  proper 
element,  the  quantity  of  food  and  drink  which  they  stowed  away 
in  their  huge  carcases  being  something  prodigious. 

A  few  days  before  the  close  of  our  visit  to  Tahiti,  I  received, 
through  the  kindness  of  Monsieur  Parrayon,  captain  of  the  French 
inan-of-war  Dayoi,  a  large  coral  of  the  Fungia  group,  which  had 


152  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert r 

just  been  removed  from  the  bottom  of  his  ship  as  the  copper  was 
being  cleaned  by  native  divers.  The  occurrence  is  interesting  as 
illustrating  the  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  coral  in  these  waters 
There  was  the  following  history  : — The  Dayot  had  entered  ths 
tropical  waters  of  the  South  Pacific  about  seven  months  previously, 
having  come  directly  from  the  coast  of  Chili.  She  visited  some 
of  the  islands,  but  made  no  long  stay  in  harbour  until  she 
reached  Manga  Reva  (Gambler  Islands),  where  she  remained  for 
two  months  in  the  still  waters  of  a  coral  basin.  On  entering  this 
basin,  she  touched  the  reef  slightly,  and  without  sustaining  any 
damage.  From  Manga  Reva  she  sailed  to  Tahiti,  where  she 
arrived    about   the  same  time  as   the   Alert. 

Several  specimens  of  living  coral  were  found  attached  to  the 
copper  sheathing,  that  which  I  received  being  the  largest.  It  was 
discoidal  in  shape,  with  its  upper  and  under  surfaces  respectively 
convex  and  concave,  and  near  the  centre  of  the  under  surface 
there  was  a  scar,  where  the  pedicle  by  which  it  was  attached  to 
the  copper  sheathing  appeared  to  have  been  broken  through.  The 
disc  measured  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  weight  of  the 
specimen,  when  half  drj',  was  two  pounds  fourteen  ounces.  On 
examining  the  under  surface,  another  disc,  three  and  three-quarter 
inches  in  diameter,  was  visible,  partly  embedded  in  the  more  recent 
coral  growth.  Of  this  old  disc  about  one-sixth  part  was  dead  and 
uncovered  by  new  coral,  and  was  stained  of  a  deep  blue  colour 
from  contact  with  the  copper,  while  the  outline  of  the  rest  of  this 
old  disc  was  plainly  discernible,  although  partially  covered  in  by 
plates  of  new  coral. 

It  is  probable  that  on  touching  the  reef  at  Manga  Reva  nine 
weeks  previously,  a  )oung  Fungia  was  jammed  against  the  copper, 
became  attached,  and  subsequently  grew  until  it  attained  its 
present  dimensions. 

About  midday  of  the  27th  August  we  arri\ed  off  Nassau 
Island,  in  latitude  11°  31'  S.,  longitude  165°  25'  W.  It  is  of 
coral   formation,  about   half  a  mile  long  by  a  quarter  of  a  mile 


Nassau  Islajid.  153 

broad,  and  somewhat  elliptical  in  general  outline.  It  was  thickly 
wooded  with  tall  screw  pines,  rising  from  a  scrub  of  matted  brush- 
wood, and  at  the  northern  end  of  the  island  some  cocoa-nuts  were 
seen.  It  was  discovered  in  the  year  1835  by  an  American  whale- 
ship,  the  Nassau,  from  which  circumstance  it  derives  its  name. 
There  were  then  no  inhabitants  on  the  island. 

When  about  three  miles  off  we  lay  to  and  sounded,  getting 
bottom  at  1,000  fathoms,  on  coral  sand.  At  the  same  time  a 
party  of  us  started  off  in  a  whale  boat  to  land,  but  this  we  soon 
found  to  be  no  easy  matter,  for  the  island  was  encircled  by  a 
broad  fringing  reef,  on  the  sharp  outer  edge  of  which  the  surf 
everywhere  broke  heavily.  Over  our  heads  were  flying  and 
screaming  great  numbers  of  seabirds,  among  which  I  noticed  a 
dusky  brown  tern  with  a  white  forehead  patch,  and  a  large  brown 
gannet,  of  both  of  which  I  obtained  specimens. 

While  we  were  vainly  looking  out  for  a  landing-place,  a  white 
man,  accompanied  by  two  Polynesians,  launched  a  small  outrigger 
canoe  from  the  reef  edge,  and  paddled  out  to  us.  From  the  white 
man  we  learned  that  the  island  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Halicott,  an 
American  gentleman,  for  whom  he  had  been  acting  as  care-taker 
for  the  previous  five  years,  and  that  he  and  his  native  assistants 
were  engaged  in  planting  cocoa-nuts,  and  hoped  in  time  to  do  a 
remunerative  trade  in  copra.  There  were,  he  said,  only  three  or 
four  trees  bearing  nuts,  and  the  bread-fruit  did  not  grow  on  the 
island.  The  present  population  amounted  to  six,  viz. — the  white 
man  and  his  wife,  and  two  natives  from  Danger  Islands,  with  their 
wives.  As  for  live  stock,  they  had  only  two  dogs  and  two  pigs, 
and  regarding  the  latter  our  informant  remarked,  with  much  con- 
cern, that  they  were  not  in  a  condition  to  multiply.  For  supplies 
of  food,  excepting  fish,  which  was  of  course  abundant,  he  depended 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  visited  the  island  once  a  year,  bringing 
rice  and  meal.     Water,  fortunately,  was  plentiful. 

Continuing  on  our  course,  on  the  following  morning  (August 
28th),  we  sighted  the  Tema  Reef,  in  latitude    10"  7'  S.,  longitude 


154  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

165°  32"5'  \V.,  and  steaming  up  to  and  around  it,  we  made  a 
series  of  soundings,  which  occupied  our  surveyors  for  lialf  the  day. 
The  reef,  a  submerged  one,  is  indicated  by  a  circular  patch  of 
breakers  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  circumference,  from  one 
part  of  which  a  long  tapering  line  of  surf  extends  in  a  north-east 
direction,  making  the  entire  alTair  have  some  resemblance  in  out- 
line to  a  tadpole.  A  cloud  of  white  spray  overhung  this  great 
mass  of  seething  water,  and  the  frightful  tumble  and  confusion  of 
the  crests  of  the  breakers  as  they  uprose  in  pyramids  twenty  feet 
in  height,  made  one  shudder  to  think  of  the  consequences  to  an 
ill-fated  vessel  striking  on  this  reef.  Its  position  is  given  correctly 
on  the  old  charts. 

On  the  same  evening  we  passed  about  four  miles  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  Danger  Islands,  a  low  coral  group,  which  is  found  to 
be  about  si.x  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  position  assigned  to  it 
on  the  charts  on  the  authority  of  the  Tuscarora  (U.  S.)  Expedition. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  3rd  September  we  sighted  Fakaata,  or 
Bowditch  Island,  and  some  hours  later  Nukunono,  which  lies  in 
latitude  9°  24'  S.,  longitude  171°  27'  W.  These  two  islands,  with 
Oatdfu,  which  lies  further  to  the  westward,  constitute  the  Union 
Group.  They  are  all  low  lagoon-islands.  At  3.30  p.m.,  when 
abreast  of  Nukunono,  we  altered  course  and  stood  in  towards  the 
land,  and  when  about  three  miles  off  observed  an  outrigger  canoe 
with  three  men  in  it,  paddling  towards  us.  The  crew  consisted  of 
one  white  man  and  two  Polynesian  natives.  The  former  came 
on  board,  and  proved  to  be  a  Portuguese,  in  a  very  attenuated 
condition,  and  sadly  in  want  of  provisions.  He  told  us  in  broken 
English  that  he  had  lived  on  the  island  for  si.xtccn  years,  that  he 
was  the  only  white  man  there,  and  that  the  native  population 
amounted  to  eight}-.  A  conspicuous  white  building  which  we  had 
noticed  on  the  island  was,  he  informed  us,  a  church,  presided  over 
by  a  native  missionary  teacher,  there  being  at  present  no  clergj-man 
on  the  island.  He  besought  us  to  give  some  biscuit,  salt  meat, 
and  nails,  for  which  he  tendered  payment  in  dollars,  which  was  of 


Nukunono —  Oatdjii.  1 5  5 

course  refused  ;  but  his  heart  was  gladdened  by  a  free  gift  of  the 
stores  he  required,  as  well  as  other  useful  articles.  He  said  that 
he  very  rarely  saw  any  vessels — not  more  than  once  in  ten  months 
—and  that  no  "labour  ships"  visited  the  island.  The  latter  are 
small  vessels  whose  owners  make  a  living  by  conveying  Polynesian 
natives  to  the  Australian  colonies,  where  they  are  employed  as 
labourers,  under — usually — a  thiee  years'  contract. 

The  only  native  production  was  "copra,"  which  was  taken  away 
by  trading  vessels  that  made  visits  at  long  intervals. 

Fish  were  at  times  abundant,  and  they  had  a  good  many  pigs, 
which  were  allowed  to  run  wild.  The  natives,  he  said,  were  a 
very  friendly,  well-disposed  people,  of  whom  we  saw  two  very 
promising  examples  in  the  canoe  alongside. 

We  were  obliged  to  get  under  way  after  only  half  an  hour's 
stay,  when  our  Portuguese  friend  shoved  off,  heavily  laden  with 
presents,  and  bidding  us  an  affectionate  farewell. 

On  the  following  morning  (September  4th)  we  reached  Oatafu, 
the  most  westerly  island  of  the  group,  and  the  ship  was  hove  to  at 
about  three  miles  distance  from  that  part  of  the  island  where  the 
native  settlement  is  situated.  A  boat  was  then  sent  in,  from 
which  a  party  landed,  but  not  without  some  difficulty,  it  being 
found  necessary  to  anchor  the  boat  outside  the  line  of  breakers, 
and  obtain  the  services  of  a  native  canoe  to  bring  us  through  the 
surf 

We  were  received  by  the  natives  with  every  demonstration  of 
good-will,  and  were  at  once  conducted  to  the  house  of  the  native 
missionary  teacher,  who  seemed  to  a  great  extent  to  occupy  the 
position  of  a  chief  We  found  the  worthy  old  gentleman  seated 
on  a  mat  in  the  corner  of  his  hut,  a  position  from  which  he  never 
stirred  during  the  time  of  our  visit.  After  drinking  cocoa-nut 
milk,  aid  e.xchanging  some  ceremonious  remarks  with  the  teacher 
through  the  imperfect  medium  of  a  native  interpreter,  we  extricated 
ourselves  from  the  crowd  of  natives  that  hemmed  us  in,  and  started 
on  a  stroll  of  inspection  through  the  settlement 


156  Cruise  0/  the  '' Alert r 

The  men  are  fine  specimens  of  the  Polynesian  race,  well-built, 
and  with  frank,  open  countenances ;  but  the  women  are  much  inferioi 
to  them,  both  in  good  looks,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  in  manners. 

A  great  number  of  both  sexes  were  affected  with  a  rather 
unsightly  skin-disease,  evidently  of  a  parasitic  character,  which 
they  call  "  pcetcr."  It  begins  on  the  chest  and  shoulders  in 
small  circular  patches  somewhat  resembling  "  ringworm,"  and 
eventually  extends  over  the  entire  cutaneous  surface,  causing 
desquamation  of  the  cuticle,  and  giving  rise  to  a  very  distressing 
itching.  When  the  disease  has  become  well  established,  the  skin 
exhibits  grooves  of  the  "snail-track"  pattern,  which  intersect  each 
other  in  various  directions  ;  so  that  on  examining  at  a  few  yards 
distance  a  man  who  is  extensively  diseased,  he  seems  at  first  sight 
as  if  covered  with  artificial  cicatrices,  arranged  so  as  to  represent 
some  hierogl)'phic  device.  They  possess  no  remedy  for  this 
disease,  and  were  therefore  extremely  anxious  to  obtain  from  us 
some  treatment  for  it  In  other  respects  they  seem  to  be  a  very 
healthy  people. 

We  crossed  the  narrow  strip  of  land — only  a  few  hundred  yards 
wide — on  which  lies  the  settlement,  and  then  found  ourselves  on 
the  margin  of  an  extensive  lagoon,  on  the  smooth  sandy  beach 
of  which  outrigger  canoes  in  great  numbers  were  hauled  up.  The 
island  is  an  irregular  atoll,  that  portion  on  which  we  were  being 
continuous  for  about  three-fifths  of  the  circle,  while  the  remaining 
portion  was  made  up  by  a  straggling  chain  of  islets. 

During  our  subsequent  stroll  through  the  settlement,  I  obtained 
some  information  from  an  intelligent  native  who  spoke  a  little 
English,  and  seemed  to  be  one  of  the  principal  people.  He 
seemed  to  be  very  proud  of  his  small  stock  of  knowledge  con- 
cerning "  Britannia,"  as  he  called  Great  Britain,  and  was  very 
particular  in  explaining  that  he  was  a  Protestant,  and  disapproved 
strongly  of  Catholicism,  which  he  looked  on  as  the  height  of 
infamy.  He  was  therefore  surprised  and  much  crestfallen  at 
hearing  that  all  Englishmen  were  not  Protestants. 


Religious  Scruples.  157 

Wc  were  unable  to  obtain  many  curiosities  in  the  way  of 
native  implements,  as  according  to  the  calendar  of  the  island  it 
was  the  Sabbath  day,  and  was  as  such  strictly  observed ;  although 
with  us,  keeping  eastern  time  and  longitude,  it  was  of  course  a 
Saturday.  However,  by  a  judicious  distribution  of  a  few  plugs  of 
tobacco,  which  I  emphatically  called  "presents,"  and  by  bestowing 
on  my  native  friend  a  surgical  lancet,  which  he  was  very  anxious 
to  possess,  I  received — also  as  "  presents" — a  few  implements, 
viz.,  a  large  wooden  shark-hook  with  rope  snooding  made  of 
cocoanut  fibres,  a  small  fish-hook,  the  stem  of  which  was  made 
of  pearl  shell  and  the  hook  of  turtle  shell,  a  fish-hook  made  of 
cocoanut  husk,  neatly  carved,  and  the  blade  of  an  old  native  adze 
fashioned  out  of  a  clamshell.  I  was  very  glad  to  get  these 
articles,  for  since  the  introduction  of  iron  tools  the  ancient  stone 
and  shell  implements  have  been  thrown  away  and  lost  sight  of, 
so  that  it  is  now  exceedingly  difficult  to  procure  any  of  them. 
No  weapons  of  any  kind  are  used,  and  the  spear  is  not  used  even 
for  fishing.  I  entered  one  of  the  better  class  of  native  huts,  and 
found  it  clean  and  neatly  arranged  ;  and  as  in  the  hut  of  the 
missionary  teacher,  pictures  cut  from  the  London  illustrated 
papers  were  stuck  against  the  walls,  and  pointed  out  to  us  as 
objects  of  special  pride.  The  entire  population  at  this  time 
numbered  260,  and  was  presided  over  until  a  few  weeks  prior  to 
our  visit  by  a  king.  The  late  monarch,  however,  having  shown 
himself  to  be  a  good-for-nothing  sort  of  person,  was  deposed  by 
his  subjects,  who  now  get  on  very  well  without  any  form  of 
government  excepting  that  of  the  missionaries. 

There  was  one  white  man  living  on  the  island,  a  Scotchman 
named  Adam  Maync,  who  collects  cocoanut-oil  on  behalf  of  the 
firm  of  Henderson  and  Macfarlanc,  of  Auckland.  He  receives 
supplies  every  three  months  or  thereabouts  from  a  trading  vessel  ; 
but  as  the  latter  was  now  three  months  overdue,  he  was  very 
glad  to  receive  from  us  a  present  of  biscuit  and  medical  stores. 

The   Christianizing  of  the  island  has  been  undertaken   b\^   the 


158  Cruise  of  the  "Alert,' 

London  Missionary  Society,  who  send  at  long  intervals  a  mis- 
sionary clergyman  to  inspect  the  settlement,  and  confer  with 
their  delegate,  the  native  missionary. 

The  natural  products  are  very  limited,  consisting  solely  of 
cocoanuts  and  fish.  The  latter  commodity  abounds.  Pearl  shell 
is  obtained,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantities  to  be  an  article  of 
commerce. 

Adam  Mayne  told  us  that  sharks  were  very  numerous,  and 
were  caught  with  the  hook  and  line  ;  but  no  case  had  ever 
occurred  of  a  native  being  injured  by  them,  although  they  were 
accustomed  to  swim  in  the  open  sea  outside  the  reef,  a  fact  of 
which  we  ourselves  had  ocular  proof.  At  the  same  time,  curiously 
enough,  many  instances  had  occurred  at  the  Windward  Islands, 
Nukunono  and  Fakaata,  of  natives  being  taken  down  by  sharks. 
Turtle  are  ocasionally  caught,  and  of  these  the  shell  of  the  carapace 
is  used  for  making  hooks  for  fishing,  which  native-made  hooks 
are,  by-the-bye,  preferred  to  our  English  ones.  Indeed,  they  say 
that  the  fish  will  not  take  our  metal  hooks  at  all. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  (September  4th)  we  again 
got  under  way,  and  continued  on  our  course  to  the  westward, 
fixincr  the  positions  of  islands  and  taking  negative  soundings 
frequently.  On  the  13th  of  September  we  obtained  soundings 
on  the  Lalla  Rookh  bank  in  latitude  13°  5'  S.,  longitude  175°  26' 
W.  the  depth  ranging  from  twelve  to  seventeen  fathoms.  With 
the  snap-lead  a  sample  of  the  bottom  was  brought  up,  consisting 
of  a  lump  of  dead  coral  incrusted  with  red  nuUipores,  and  riddled 
in  all  directions  by  the  borings  of  annelids. 


CH  APTE  R     VIII. 

FIJI  AND   TONGA. 

THE  harbour  of  Levuka,  in  which  we  anchored  on  the  iSth  of 
September,  is  situated  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  island 
of  Ovalau,  and  from  its  central  position  in  the  Fiji  Group  has  for 
several  years  been  the  principal  seat  of  commercial  .activity  and 
the  favourite  anchorage  for  men-of-war.  Since  the  annexation  in 
1875,  Levuka  has  been  the  seat  of  government  for  the  colony, 
and  the  official  residence  of  the  High  Commissioner  for  the  Pacific. 
During  our  stay  in  harbour  the  ship  was  refitted  and  reprovisioncd, 
and  our  boats  were  occupied  in  making  some  additions  to  the 
survey  of  the  port. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival  I  received  a  visit  from  the  youngest 
son  of  the  redoubted  King  Cacobau,  a  fine-looking  man,  twenty- 
three  years  old,  whose  proper  designation  is  the  "  Ratu  Joseph 
Celua"  ("  Ratu"  meaning  prince),  but  who  is  more  generally 
known  in  Fiji  as  "  Ratu  Joe."  It  seems  that  soon  after  we  had 
anchored,  he  came  on  board  accompanied  by  some  other  native 
sight-seers,  and  as  I  had  then  shown  him  some  slight  civility, 
he  now  came  to  express  his  gratitude  by  presenting  me  with  a 
large  mat,  made  from  the  split  leaves  of  the  screw-pine.  He 
surprised  us  all  by  speaking  exceedingly  good  English,  and 
possessing  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  ways  and  manners  of 
civilized  life.  It  appears  that  when  Fiji  was  ceded  to  Great 
Britain   in    1875,  he  was  taken  to  Sydney,  in  H.M.S.  Dido,  to  be 


l6o  Cruise  of  the  '^Aleri." 

educated,  and  accordingly  spent  three  years  at  the  university 
there.  There  was  no  topic  of  general  interest  on  which  he  did 
not  possess  a  fair  amount  of  knowledge.  He  wore  his  hair  in 
the  fashion  of  the  country, /.t-.  in  a  mop  frizzled  out  to  an  immense 
size,  and  in  other  respects  he  was  got  up  as  a  native  chief  of 
distinction.  He  spoke  favourably  of  British  rule,  although,  as 
we  were  otherwise  informed,  he  himself  had  recently  acquired  a 
practical  experience  of  the  unpleasant  consequences  attending  the 
commission  of  an  indictable  offence,  in  having  to  undergo  a 
sentence  of  three  months'  hard  labour. 

On  the  25th  of  September  a  party  of  us  made  an  excursion  in 
one  of  the  ship's  steam-cutters  to  Bau,  the  old  native  capital  of 
the  Fiji  Group.  \Vc  started  from  Levuka  harbour  at  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  accompanied  by  our  friend  the  Ratu  Joe,  who 
most  kindly  and  hospitably  volunteered  to  pilot  us  over,  and  to 
entertain  us  in  his  hut  at  Bau. 

We  steamed  along  in  smooth  water  inside  the  barrier  reef 
which,  protects  the  S.  E.  side  of  Ovalau  for  about  three  miles, 
when  we  passed  out  into  the  open  sea  through  a  narrow  opening 
in  the  reef.  We  then  steamed  for  about  five  miles  through  deep 
water,  until  we  entered  an  intricate  system  of  channels  which 
wind  among  the  submerged  reefs  extending  across  the  Strait 
between  Ovalau  and  Viti  Levu.  The  distance  from  Levuka  to 
Bau  is  about  twenty-four  miles,  and  after  a  pleasant  passage  of 
five  hours  we  reached  our  destination  and  anchored  the  boat  in 
smooth  water  at  about  forty  yards  from  the  shore.  After  deposit- 
ing our  baggage  in  Joe's  hut,  we  went  in  a  body  to  pay  our 
respects  to  King  Cacobau  the  "Vunivalu"  (kingly  title  mean- 
ing the  "Root  of  War"),  to  whom  we  were  formally  introduced 
by  Joe,  the  latter  also  acting  as  interpreter,  for  Cacobau  docs  not 
speak  English  at  all.  We  were  received  in  a  small  smoky  hut,  in 
which  the  aged  monarch  spends  most  of  his  time  during  this,  the 
cold,  season  of  Fiji.  He  seemed  to  be  a  feeble  old  man,  aged 
about  seventy,  and  almost  entirely  blind,  yet  evidently  possessing 


<> 

<> 


King  Cacobau.  i6i 

his  mental  faculties  in  full  vigour,  for  he  put  to  us  many  shrewd 
questions  concerning  the  work  of  our  ship,  and  then,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  he  seemed  to  be  pondering  over  her  name,  asked  if 
we  could  give  him  some  information  regarding  her  previous  work 
of  exploration  in  the  Arctic  regions.  On  this  subject  he  seemed 
to  take  much  interest,  and  like  many  other  people,  did  not  fail  to 
put  the  rather  puzzling  question  as  to  what  could  be  the  use  of 
exploring  the  uninhabited  and  inhospitable  polar  regions.  During 
the  conference  he  sat  cross-legged  on  a  large  mat,  crouching  over 
a  smoky  wood  fire.  His  hair  was  grey,  and  his  upper  teeth  seemed 
to  be  gone.  From  time  to  time  messengers  came  into  the  hut, 
who  after  assuming  a  respectful  posture  on  the  floor,  asked  for  his 
orders  concerning  various  municipal  affairs.  To  these  function- 
aries his  replies  were  short,  sharp,  and  decisive,  and  were  acted 
upon  with  such  alacrity  that  it  was  fully  evident  to  us  that  he 
still  retains  no  small  part  of  his  former  control  over  his  subjects.* 
It  happened,  by  chance,  thaC  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  at  Bau, 
a  feast  was  to  be  given  by  Cacobau  to  a  tribe  of  natives  who  had 
just  brought  to  him  a  tribute  offering,  consisting  of  eighteen  large 
green  turtle.  As  we  were  landing  we  saw  the  feast,  which  con- 
sisted of  eight  good-sized  pigs  roasted  whole,  and  several  huge 
piles  of  yams,  spread  out  on  a  sort  of  common  outside  the  en- 
closure of  the  native  town  ;  but  on  the  king  being  apprised  of 
our  visit,  he  gave  orders  that  the  feast  was  to  be  transferred  inside 
the  town  palisades,  and  it  was  accordingly  removed  and  spread 
out  on  the  grass  in  front  of  the  small  hut  wherein  he  received  us. 
Then,  at  a  signal  from  him,  conveyed  in  the  form  of  a  fierce  growl 
delivered  from  his  seat  by  the  fire,  the  members  of  the  stranger 
tribe  assembled  round  the  roasted  pigs,  which  were  quickly  cut 
up  into  joints,  and  then  carried  by  certain  representatives  of  the 
tribe  into  various  huts,  to  be  there  quietly  consumed.  During  all 
this  time  the  large  trough-shaped  wooden  drums,  called  "  Lalis," 

*  The  news  of  Cacobau 's  death  has  just  reached  England  (April  1883).      "Cacobau" 
is  pronounced  '  Thackombow." 

II 


1 62  Cruise  of  the  "Akrf" 

were  being  vigorously  sounded  to  summon  the  people  to  the  feast. 
Subsequently  the  old  king  shook  himself  together,  came  out  from 
the  hut,  and  standing  in  the  open  surrounded  by  a  large  and 
picturesque  assemblage  of  his  subjects,  and  assisted  by  his  three 
big  sons,  distributed  large  rolls  of  "  tapa"  (native  cloth  made  from 
the  inner  bark  of  the  paper  mulberry)  to  several  leading  person- 
ages of  the  strange  tribe.  These  presents  were  valuable,  for  some 
of  these  pieces  of  "  tapa "  measured  eighty  yards  in  length  by 
about  one  yard  in  width. 

About  two  months  before  the  time  of  our  visit,  there  had  been 
a  great  fire  at  Bau,  which  destroyed  and  reduced  to  ashes  about 
one-third  of  the  town,  and  compelled  some  of  the  inhabitants  to 
move  over  to  the  main  island  of  Viti  Levu.  Among  the  buildings 
destroyed  by  this  fire  was  the  great  Bure  Kalou,  or  native  temple, 
where  even  so  recently  as  thirty  years  ago  the  great  cannibal 
feasts  used  to  take  place.  Close  to  one  angle  of  the  square  mass 
of  earthwork  on  which  the  temple  was  raised,  we  saw  a  stone  slab 
projecting  from  the  ground  in  a  nearly  upright  position.  This 
was  one  of  the  famous  stones — incorrectly  stjlcd  "  sacrificial " 
against  which  the  unfortunate  people  who  were  to  be  cooked  for 
"  bakola  "  (human  meat)  had  their  brains  dashed  out.  This  inter- 
esting relic  of  cannibalism  has  not  escaped  the  ravages  of  modern 
vandalism,  numerous  fragments  having  been  chipped  off  as  curios. 
Indeed,  wc  were  told  that  quite  recently  one  of  the  white  traders 
of  Levuka  had  been  endeavouring  to  carry  off  this  stone  alto- 
gether, with  a  view  to  making  money  by  exhibiting  it  at  Sj'dney 
and  such  places. 

We  saw  another  and  somewhat  similar  stone  near  the  water 
side,  and  close  to  the  remains  of  the  Bure  Kalou  of  the  tribe  of 
fishermen,  where  the  bodies  of  prisoners  of  war,  brought  in  by 
the  "  Lasikaus,"  or  fishermen,  were  landed  and  mutilated.  The 
upright  slab  was  worn  quite  smooth  on  one  side,  presumably  by 
the  friction  of  human  heads. 

Certain   honeycombed   slabs  of  coral   here  formed  a  pavement 


Double  Canoe.  1 63 

of  a  few  square  yards  in  extent,  and  until  recently  it  was  usual 
to  find  human  teeth  imbedded  in  the  pores  of  the  coral.  They 
have  probably  all  been  removed  by  curiosity  hunters,  for  we 
looked  in  vain  for  a  single  specimen. 

In  a  few  years  hence  the  old  Fijian  double  canoe  (consisting 
of  two  canoes  placed  side  by  side,  and  connected  by  a  bridge) 
will  be  seen  no  more  ;  but  we  were  lucky  in  having  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  one  good  specimen  at  Bau.  It  was  hauled  up 
on  a  slip  beneath  a  large  thatched  shed,  and  although  by  no 
means  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind,  yet  it  greatly  exceeded  my 
expectations.  The  depth  of  hold  was  about  five  feet,  so  that 
standing  on  the  bottom  of  either  canoe,  my  neck  was  just  on  a 
level  with  the  edge  of  the  hatch,  and  the  total  length  of  each 
canoe  was  72  feet ;  but  what  most  surprised  me  was  the  enor- 
moijs  size  of  the  mast,  which  lay  alongside  the  vessel.  It  was 
about  the  size  of  the  Alert's  spanker  boom.  This  canoe  was 
intended  to  carry  250  men,  and  I  have  no  doi'.bt  it  would  hold 
that  number. 

Single  outrigger  canoes  are  still  largely  used.  We  saw  several 
in  course  of  construction  on  the  small  recessed  slips  which  indented 
the  sea-wall  of  the  island. 

The  genuine  old  native  implements  and  weapons  are  now  getting 
very  scarce,  the  demand  for  these  articles  in  Europe  having  created 
a  trade  which  has  almost  exhausted  the  supplies  of  the  country. 
I  inquired  for  stone  adzes,  and,  after  some  difficult)-,  obtained  one, 
for  which  I  paid  a  shilling  ;  but  on  subsequently  groping  for  myself 
amongst  the  ruins  of  the  burnt  huts,  I  succeeded  in  finding  several 
perfect  and  imperfect  specimens. 

In  the  evening  we  witnessed  the  ceremony  of  angoiia  drinking 
in  the  king's  state  residence,  where  our  friend  the  Ratu  Joe  pre- 
sided on  this  occasion  instead  of  his  father.  The  performance 
began  with  a  long  monotonous  chant,  which  was  maintained 
alternately  by  an  elderly  man,  who  seemed  to  hold  the  office  of 
master  of  the  ceremonies,  and  by  a  body  of  elderly  men,  amounting 


1 64  Cruise  of  the  ^' Alert." 

to  forty  or  fifty,  who  squatted  close  together  on  the  floor.  In  the 
meantime  some  boys  were  engaged  in  a  gloomy  corner  of  the  hut 
in  chewing  the  angona  root,  and  in  spitting  the  pulpy  masticated 
mouthfuls  of  fibre  into  the  large  wooden  bowl  which  was  destined 
to  contain  the  liquor.  Suddenly  the  chant  ended  with  a  simultaneous 
and  abrupt  clapping  of  hands  on  the  part  of  the  singers  ;  and  now 
the  angona  bowl  was  brought  forward  into  the  clear  space  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  water  was  poured  over  the  chewed  pulp,  and 
finally  the  liquor  was  rudely  strained  by  sponging  it  up  with  a 
handful  of  hibiscus  fibre,  and  filling  the  drinking  cup  with  the 
squeezed  contents.  Great  respect  was  throughout  shown  to  Joe, 
the  presiding  chief;  and  on  his  emptying  the  bowl  of  angona, 
which  was  handed  to  him  solemnly  by  the  cupbearer,  all  the 
natives  exclaimed  in  a  loud  \o\ct,"  Atnadtha"  (meaning,  "It  is 
emptied  ").  Subsequently  similar  draughts  were  politely  handed 
to  each  of  us  guests  by  the  official  cupbearer,  but  notwithstanding 
the  historic  interest  attaching  to  this  famous  South  Sea  beverage, 
and  the  impression  made  on  us  by  the  great  concourse  of  native 
dignitaries  gathered  together  in  solemn  awe,  few  of  us  were 
inclined  to  imitate  the  chief's  example  and  do  justice  to  the 
flowing  bow-1. 

However,  we  tasted  it,  and  thought  it  rather  nasty,  giving  one 
the  idea  of  a  mixture  of  pepper  and  soapsuds. 

The  Fijians  spoke  very  favourably  of  British  rule,  and  it  would 
seem  that  the  Governor  (Sir  Arthur  Gordon)  had  ver>'  wisely  and 
successfully  adopted  the  policy  of  retaining,  so  far  as  was  practi- 
cable, the  old  native  laws,  only  modif\ing  them  as  much  as  was 
necessary'  for  the  establishment  of  a  reasonable  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion. Thus  the  old  feudal  power  of  the  chiefs  has  been  retained, 
and  in  man\-  instances  those  among  them  who  were  well-behaved, 
and  displayed  a  suitable  amount  of  administrative  ability,  have 
been  invested  with  magisterial  power  over  the  districts  to  which 
they  belong. 

We  slept  for  the  night  in  Joe's  hut,  stretching  ourselves  out  on 


Across  Ovalau — Livoni.  165 

the  mats  which  covered  the  floor,  and  excepting  a  little  trouble 
from  mosquitoes,  were  comfortable  enough.  Our  return  journey 
to  Levuka  on  the  following  evening  was  accomplished  without 
any  incident  worthy  of  note. 

Some  days  later,  I  took  part  in  a  walking  excursion  across  the 
island  of  Ovalau,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Parr,  an  English  gentleman 
residing  in  the  colony  and  the  owner  of  a  large  plantation  in  the 
Rewa  River  district  of  Viti  Levu,  and  under  the  guidance  of  two 
natives,  who  carried  our  small  parcels  of  baggage.  Starting  from 
Levuka  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  September,  we  proceeded 
up  the  Totoonga  Valley,  which  stretches  inland  from  the  back  of 
the  settlement,  and  after  about  two  hours'  hard  walking,  discovered 
that  our  guides  had  lost  their  way,  and  had  brought  us  up  to  the 
summit  of  a  thickly-wooded  conical  hill.  Here,  however,  we  were 
compensated  for  our  disappointment  by  finding  several  graves  of 
the  Kaicolos,  an  old  hill-inhabiting  tribe  of  Fijians,  who  for  a  long 
time  held  out  against  the  aggressive  policy  of  Cacobau.and  struggled 
vainly  to  maintain  their  independence. 

We  had  now  to  descend  from  this  hill  to  the  main  valley  below, 
from  whence  our  guides  made  a  fresh  departure,  by  means  of 
which  we  were  enabled,  after  a  stiffish  climb  up  the  face  of  a 
rather  steep  hillside,  to  attain  a  ridge  1,700  feet  high,  which 
separates  the  watersheds  of  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  island. 
After  a  brief  stay  here,  we  descended  the  other  side  by  a  steep 
and  almost  obliterated  track  for  about  three  hours  more,  when 
we  reached  Livoni,  the  site  of  an  old  Kaicolo  stronghold.  Here, 
amid  the  ruins  of  the  town,  we  found  a  farmhouse  of  recent  con- 
struction, the  property  of  a  Mr.  McCorkill,  who  had  obtained  a 
three  years'  lease  of  the  land,  and  was  about  to  try  his  hand  at 
stock-farming.  He  had  two  hundred  head  of  cattle,  for  which 
he  obtained  a  ready  sale  at  Levuka,  but  the  difficulties  of  transit 
were  considerable,  and  he  did  not  seem  hbpeful  as  to  the  success 
of  his  enterprise.  He  was,  moreover,  appreh  ensive  that  his  house, 
which  was  built  close  to  the  bank  of  a  mountain  torrent,  was  on  a 


1 66  Cruise  of  the  *-'A!erf." 

rather  insecure  site,  and  that  the  next  heavy  flood  in  the  rainy 
season  would  sweep  away  ail  his  household  belongings. 

He  pointed  out  close  to  his  own  house  the  characteristic  raised 
foundations  of  an  old  native  temple  (Bure  Kalou),  and  told  us 
that  his  workmen,  in  clearing  the  ground  for  his  garden  and 
paddock,  frequently  turned  up  human  skulls  and  other  bones. 
He  also  very  kindly  promised  to  send  me  some  Kaicolo  crania  on 
the  first  opportunity  ;  a  promise  which  he  amply  redeemed  some 
weeks  later  by  presenting  me  with  two  excellent  specimens. 

After  a  short  stay  in  his  house,  and  refreshed  by  a  drink  of 
delicious  milk,  we  continued  our  walk  down  this  valley,  following 
the  course  of  the  river,  which,  as  we  advanced,  rapidly  increased 
in  size,  and  pursued  so  sinuous  a  course  that  we  were  obliged  to 
cross  and  recross  it  five  or  six  times  before  we  arrived  at  Burcta 
— a  native  village  on  the  west  side  of  Ovalau — which  we  gained 
just  before  nightfall.  A  further  walk  of  about  a  mile  brought 
us  to  the  residence  of  a  friend  of  Mr.  Parr's  (Captain  Morne),  a 
retired  merchant  captain,  and  now  the  owner  of  a  large  estate,  by 
whom  we  were  most  hospitably  entertained  and  lodged  for  the 
night. 

This  gentleman  was  doing  a  large  trade  in  pine-apples,  of  which 
he  has  about  twenty  acres  under  cultivation.  He  sends  the 
produce  periodically  to  Sydney  by  steamer,  pacl<ed  in  wooden 
boxes,  where  they  fetch  about  20s.  per  dozen.  On  the  following 
morning  we  spent  some  hours  in  strolling  about  the  estate,  and 
in  a  creek  near  the  outlet  of  the  Livoni  River  we  saw  the  curious 
mud-fish  Periophthalmus  jumping  about  on  the  moist  beach  in  the 
ludicrous  manner  which  has  been  so  well  described  by  Mr.  Moseley 
in  his  "  Notes  of  a  Naturalist,"  its  pectoral  fins  being  used  for 
terrestrial  progression. 

We  made  the  return  journey  by  the  south  side  of  the  island. 
Captain  Morne  very  considerately  sending  us  on  in  one  of  his 
boats  as  far  as  the  south-west  extreme  of  Ovalau,  from  whence  a 
three  hours'  walk  along  the  seashore  brought  us  back  to  Levuka. 


Suva,    Via  Levu.  167 

On  the  morning  of  the  iith  of  October  we  got  under  way 
from  Levuka,  and  spent  the  day  in  steaming  over  to  Suva,  a  com- 
modious harbour,  situated  on  the  south-east  side  of  Viti  Levu, 
where  it  was  our  intention  to  coal  ship  from  a  stationary  hulk 
which  supplies  the  steamers  plying  between  Sydney  and  the  Fijian 
ports.  It  is  said  that  Suva,  from  the  accommodation  which  its 
harbour  affords,  and  from  its  position  on  an  easily  accessible  part 
of  the  largest  island  of  the  group,  is  destined  to  become  the  seat 
of  government  and  the  future  capital  of  Fiji  ;  but  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  the  settlement  was  very  insignificant,  and  looked  a  mere 
speck  in  the  great  extent  of  wooded  land  which  seemed  from  our 
anchorage  to  spread  before  us  in  a  vast  semicircle. 

Leaving  the  ship  on  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  I  started 
for  a  walk  on  shore,  taking  my  gun,  insect  bottle,  and  collecting 
boxes.  I  at  first  directed  my  steps  inland  along  the  main  road, 
and  for  about  three  miles  proceeded  over  an  upland  plain  of 
undulating  land,  thickly  covered  with  tall  reeds,  and  showing  here 
and  there  patches  of  brush  in  the  wet  hollows.  In  the  last- 
mentioned  localities  a  good  many  birds,  chiefly  parrots,  were  to 
be  heard  screaming  shrilly,  but  owing  to  the  denseness  of  the 
foliage,  few  were  visible. 

In  the  afternoon  I  returned  to  the  settlement,  and  from  thence 
proceeded  along  the  beach  towards  the  low  point  which  shelters 
the  harbour  from  the  north-east  winds.  Here,  as  the  tide  fell 
and  laid  bare  broad  flats  of  mud  and  coral,  several  flocks  of  sand- 
pipers, whose  general  plumage  resembled  that  of  the  snipe,  came 
in  from  seaward,  settled,  and  commenced  to  feed.  A  brace  of 
duck  and  a  large  grey  tern  were  the  only  other  birds  seen. 

We  learned  that  the  country  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Suva 
was  exceedingly  unproductive.  The  soil  was  very  thin,  and  the 
sub-soil  was  a  stiff  pasty  clay  of  a  grey  colour — in  places  resembling 
soapstone — and  so  impervious  to  drainage  as  to  render  all  attempts 
at  agriculture  hitherto  abortive. 

We  left   Suva   on    October    13th,   and    sailed   for  Tongatabu, 


1 63  Cruise  of  the  " Alert ." 

searching  on  tlic  way  for  certain  reefs  and  banks  of  doubtful 
existence,  which  it  was  desirable  on  proper  evidence  to  expunge 
from  the  charts. 

During  the  traverses  which  we  made  in  sounding  for  these,  I 
had  a  good  opportunity  of  plying  the  tow-net.  Among  the  forms 
thus  obtained  were  a  minute  conferva,  a  brilliantly  phosphorescent 
pyrosoma,  measuring  three  inches  in  length,  and  a  small  shell-less 
pteropod,  the  Eiirybia  gaiidicliaudi.  A  specimen  of  the  latter, 
which  I  examined  in  a  glass  trough,  measured  one-twelfth  of  an 
inch  across  the  body.  After  giving  it  about  half-an-hour's  rest, 
it  protruded  its  epipodia  and  tentacles,  and  commenced  to  swim 
about  vigorously.  The  caudal  portion  of  the  body  was  furnished 
with  cilia,  and  the  digestive  organs  presented  the  appearance  of 
a  dark-red  opaque  mass,  surrounded  by  a  transparent  envelope 
of  a  gelatinous  consistency,  whose  surface  exhibited  a  reticulated 
structure. 

Tongatabu,  Friendly  Islands,  8(lt  to  i  %th  of  November. — The 
credit  of  discovering  the  Tonga  Islands  rests  with  Tasman,  who 
saw  them  on  the  20th  of  January,  1643,  ^^^  subsequently 
anchored  his  ship  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  large  island, 
Tongatabu.  Cook  saw  the  islands  during  his  second  voyage  in 
October  1773,  and  on  his  third  voyage  in  1777  he  made  a  stay 
of  three  months  at  the  group,  for  more  than  a  month  of  which 
time  he  was  anchored  at  Tongatabu,  the  principal  and  most 
southward  island  of  the  group.  The  islands  were  subsequently 
visited  by  D'Entrecasteau,  Maurelle  (178 1),  Lieutenant  Bligh 
of  the  Bounty,  Captain  Edwards  of  the  Pandora  (i  791),  and  other 
explorers  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

In  the  month  of  November  1806,  an  English  privateer,  the 
Port-au-Prince,  arrived  at  Lifonga,  one  of  the  Hapai  Islands, 
where  the  ship  was  seized  by  the  natives,  and  most  of  the  crew 
massacred.  Among  the  few  whose  lives  were  spared  was  a  young 
man  named  Mariner,  who  acquired  the  friendship  of  the  chief, 
Finow,  and   lived   peacefully  with   the   natives  for   the  space  of 


Early  History  of  Tonga — Nukualofa.  169 

four  years,  accumulating  during  that  time  a  vast  amount  of 
information  concerning  their  manners  and  habits.  Mariner's 
narrative  was  subsequently  published  in  a  book  written  by  Dr. 
John  Martin,  which  is  still  regarded  as  the  standard  work  on 
the  Tonga  Islands. 

The  Wesleyan  missionaries  established  themselves  here  in  the 
year  1822,  and  were  well  received  ;  and  some  years  subsequently 
a  French  Roman  Catholic  mission  was  also  successfully  established. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  entire  population  of  the  Tonga 
Islands,  including  Tongatabu,  Hapai,  and  Vavau,  amounted  to 
25,000,  while  that  of  Tongatabu  alone  was  12,000.  Of  the  latter 
number,  8,000  belonged  to  the  Wesleyan,  and  4,000  to  the 
Catholic,  Church. 

We  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Tongatabu,  off  the  town  of 
Nukualofa,  on  the  8th  of  November,  at  about  midday.  The 
anchorage  looked  very  bare  indeed,  there  being  only  one  vessel 
beside  ours,  a  merchant  barque  belonging  to  Godeffroy  and  Co.,  of 
Hamburg,  the  well-known  South  Sea  Island  traders. 

The  most  striking  objects  on  shore,  as  viewed  from  our  position 
in  the  anchorage,  were  the  Wesleyan  Church — an  old  dilapidated 
wooden  building  crowning  the  summit  of  a  round  topped  hill, 
about  sixty  feet  high,  and  said  to  be  the  highest  point  on  the 
island — and  the  king's  palace,  a  very  neat-looking  villa-edifice 
abounding  in  plate-glass  windows,  and  surrounded  by  a  low  wall, 
in  which  remained  two  breaches,  intended  for  the  reception  of 
massive  iron  gates,  which,  through  a  series  of  untoward  circum- 
cumstances,  are  not  likely  to  be  ever  placed  in  position.  It 
appears  that  some  time  ago  the  king  gave  a  carte  blanche  order 
for  two  pairs  of  gates  to  be  sent  out  from  England,  and  when, 
after  a  long  series  of  delays,  owing  to  mistakes  in  the  shipping 
arrangements,  they  at  length  reached  Tongatabu,  he  was  rather 
unpleasantly  surprised  to  find  that  the  e.xcessive  charges  for 
freightage  had  run  up  the  entire  cost  to  the  sum  of  ;£^8oo.  They 
were  then  found  to  be  so  large  and  massive  as  to  be  quite  unsuited 


I70  Cruise  of  the  "Alerts 

for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended,  so  they  were  thrown 
down  on  the  ground  in  a  disjointed  condition,  where  they  now  lie, 
rusting  and  half-buried  in  weeds.  Somewhat  in  the  rear  of  the 
royal  palace  is  seen  a  rather  imposing  private  dwelling-house,  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Baker,  formerly  a  Wcslcyan  minister,  and  now 
the  political  prime  minister  of  the  kingdom. 

In  the  afternoon  some  of  us  walked  out  to  see  the  old  fortified 
town  of  Bea,  which  is  distant  from  Nukualofa  about  four  miles  in 
a  southerly  direction,  and  is  reached  by  a  very  good  cart-road. 
This  town — or,  more  properly  speaking,  village,  for  it  is  now  but 
thinly  populated — was  formerly  the  stronghold  of  a  party  of 
Tongans,  who  objected  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  and 
were  consequently  obliged  to  defend  themselves  against  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Wesleyan  missionaries.  The  village  is  encircled  by 
a  rampart  and  moat,  which  have  for  many  years  past  been  allowed 
to  go  to  decay,  so  that  the  moat  is  now  partly  obliterated  with 
weeds  and  rubbish,  and  the  strong  palisades,  which  in  former  times 
added  considerably  to  the  defensive  strength  of  the  ramparts, 
have  almost  entirely  disappeared. 

As  we  entered  the  village  by  a  cutting  which  pierced  the 
ramparts  on  the  north  side,  we  saw  the  spot  where  Captain 
Croker,  of  H.M.S. /^^T/owr//^,  was  shot  down  in  1848,  when  heading 
an  armed  party  of  bluejackets,  with  whom  he  was  assisting  the 
missionary  party  in  an  attack  upon  the  irreconcilables.  It  seems 
to  have  been  altogether  a  most  disastrous  and  ill-advised  under- 
taking, and  of  its  effects  some  traces  still  remain  in  an  assumption 
of  physical  superiority  over  their  white  fellow-creatures,  which  may 
be  seen  among  some  of  the  Tongans. 

Nowhere  have  I  seen  the  cocoanut-trees  growing  in  such  luxu- 
riance as  at  Tongatabu.  Here  they  grow  over  the  whole  interior 
of  the  island,  as  well  as  near  the  sea-shore  ;  a  circumstance  which 
may  be  attributed  to  the  mean  level  of  the  island  being  only  a 
few  feet  above  high-water  mark,  and  to  the  coral  subsoil  extending 
over  the  entire  island.     The  latter  is  everywhere  penetrated  to  a 


A    Toiigan   Chief,  171 

greater  or  less  degree  by  the  sea-water,  as  evidenced  by  the 
brackish  water  which  is  reached  on  sinking  a  well  to  a  deptli  of 
two  or  three  yards. 

We  made  shooting  excursions  for  several  miles  to  the  eastward 
and  westward  of  Nukualofa,  and  on  one  of  the  latter  we  met  with 
an  intelligent  native,  who  excited  in  us  hopes  of  obtaining  some 
good  duck-shooting,  and  undertook  to  bring  us  to  the  right  place. 
Under  his  guidance  we  reached  a  series  of  extensive  salt-water 
lagoons,  which  seemed  likely  places  enough.  However,  on  this 
occasion  he  proved  to  be  a  false  prophet ;  and  as  he  was  anxious 
to  make  amends  for  our  disappointment,  he  induced  us  to  follow 
him  into  the  bush  in  quest  of  pigeons.  Of  these,  on  reaching  a 
thick  part  of  the  forest,  wc  heard  a  good  many  ;  but  owing  to 
the  dense  foliage  of  the  shrubs,  which  obscured  our  view  aloft,  we 
got  very  few  glimpses  of  the  birds,  which,  as  a  rule,  keep  to  the 
summits  of  the  tallest  trees.  Nevertheless,  by  dint  of  "  cooing," 
to  evoke  responses  from  the  birds  and  thus  ascertain  their  where- 
abouts, we  at  length  succeeded  in  shooting  a  good  specimen  of 
the  great  "  fruit  pigeon." 

Our  guide,  "  Davita,"  was  most  elaborately  tattooed  from  the 
waist  to  the  knees.  He  was  a  well-to-do  man,  and  the  chief  of 
a  district ;  and  was  also,  as  he  informed  us,  a  member  of  the 
"  royal  guard,"  whose  duty  it  is  to  act  as  sentries  in  front  of  the 
door  of  the  king's  palace.  "  Davita"  accompanied  us  back  to 
the  town,  and  after  receiving  his  honorarium  and  bidding  us  good- 
bye, he  went  off  to  procure  his  military  uniform,  and  subsequent!)', 
as  we  walked  by  the  palace  on  our  way  to  the  boat,  we  saw  our 
friend  in  full  toggery  doing  sentry.  He  was  a  very  fine  man,  but 
did  not  look  half  so  well  in  a  soldier's  uniform  as  in  his  native 
garb,  which  consisted  simply  of  a  waistcloth,  above  and  below 
which  appeared  the  margins  of  his  beautiful  blue  tattooing. 

There  are  evidences  of  recent  elevation  of  the  land  both  to  the 
eastward  and  westward  of  Nukualofa.  I  noticed  above  high-water 
mark    extensive   flats   of  almost   barren   land,   composed    of  level 


172  Cruise  0/  the  ''Alert.'* 

patches  of  coral,  the  interstices  of  which  were  gradually  getting 
filled  up  with  coral  detritus,  and  the  decayed  remains  of  stunted 
plants.  The  mangrove  bushes  here  seemed  with  difficulty  to  eke 
out  an  existence,  their  roots  being  no  longer  bathed  in  seawater  ; 
but  on  the  other  hand  a  few  Ivi  trees  {Akurites  sp  f)  had  gained 
a  footing.  An  amazing  quantity  of  crabs  of  the  genus  Gclasimus 
inhabit  these  desolate  flats,  where  they  will  have  an  opportunity 
of  gradually  adapting  themselves  to  a  terrestrial  existence.  I 
noticed  two  species,  one  of  which  was  covered  with  a  hairy  brown 
integument,  and  was  rather  sluggish  in  its  movements,  waddling 
awkwardly  into  its  burrow  while  it  held  aloft  one  of  its  hands  in 
a  most  ridiculous  fashion.  The  other  was  a  smaller  crab,  with  a 
greenish  body,  and  having  one  of  its  pincer-claws,  which  was  of 
a  brilliant  orange  colour,  of  a  huge  size  compared  with  its  fellow. 
Probably,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  these  flats  will  form  part 
of  the  general  forest  land,  when  the  crabs  may  undergo  further 
adaptive  changes. 

We  saw  little  of  King  George  during  our  stay,  as  being  now 
advanced  in  years  he  leads  a  retired  life,  passing  his  days  in 
a  small  room  in  the  rear  of  the  palace,  and  only  coming  out  of 
doors  after  sunset  for  a  little  airing.  However,  his  grandson, 
"  Wellington  Gnu,"  who  is  governor  of  Nukualofa,  and  heir  pre- 
sumptive to  the  throne,  was  most  civil  and  obliging.  He  is  a 
remarkably  fine-looking  man,  being  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
and  stout  in  proportion  ;  his  face  beams  with  amiability  and  intelli- 
gence ;  and  he  possesses  all  the  manners  and  bearing  of  a  polished 
gentleman.  Although  the  lineal  heir  to  the  throne  by  direct 
descent,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  he  will  succeed  the  present 
king,  as  Maafu,  his  cousin,  and  the  son  of  a  deceased  brother  of 
King  George,  is  older  in  years,  and  is  consequently  by  the  Tongan 
laws  the  legitimate  heir  to  the  throne.* 

Wellington  entertained  us  most  hospitably,  and  drove  us  in  his 
buggies  to  various  places  of  interest  in  the  island.     On  one  occa- 
•  Since  the  above  was  written  I  have  heard  of  the  death  of  Maafu. 


Curious  Stone  Monume^it — Entertainment  at  Hifo.     1 73 

sion  he  took  three  of  our  officers  to  Moa,  a  native  town  situated 
near  the  south-east  extremity  of  the  island.  From  there  they 
went  on  to  a  place  eight  miles  to  the  southward,  where  there  is 
a  famous  megalithic  structure  of  unknown  origin,  which  has  been 
described  and  figured  by  Brenchly  in  his  "Voyage  of  the  Ciira^oa." 
As  our  experience  differs  somewhat  from  Brenchly's,  I  may  be 
excused  for  making  a  few  remarks  thereon.  The  monument — if 
such  it  can  be  called — consists  of  three  large  slabs  of  coral  rock, 
two  of  which  are  planted  vertically  in  the  ground  at  a  distance 
of  about  fifteen  feet  apart,  while  the  third  forms  a  horizontal  span, 
resting  on  its  edges  in  slots  made  in  the  summits  of  the  vertical 
slabs.  The  height  of  the  structure,  of  which  the  picture  gives 
a  good  idea,  is  about  fifteen  feet.  We  were,  I  regret  to  say, 
unable  to  obtain  any  information — legendary  or  otherwise — con- 
cerning  the  origin   of  this   remarkable  structure. 

He  also  took  us  on  a  very  pleasant  excursion  to  a  village  called 
Hifo,  which  lies  about  eleven  miles  to  the  south-west  of  Nukualofa. 
The  party  consisted  of  Wellington  Gnu  (pronounced  "Mou"),  David 
Tonga,  the  principal  of  the  native  school.  Captain  Maclear,  and 
myself.  Our  means  of  locomotion  consisted  of  two  buggies,  in 
which  we  started  on  the  outward  journey  by  a  circuitous  route, 
so  as  to  take  in  the  village  of  Bea  and  four  or  five  others  on  our 
way.  On  arriving  at  Hifo,  we  halted  in  the  centre  of  the  village, 
on  an  open  patch  of  sward  under  the  shade  of  several  large  vi 
trees  {Spondias  didcis),  on  whose  branches  were  hanging  large 
numbers  of  fox  bats  {Pteropus  keraudrenii),  of  which  we  obtained 
specimens.  We  were  now  formally  introduced  to  the  chief  of 
Hifo,  who  at  once  announced  that  a  feast  would  speedily  be  pre- 
pared in  honour  of  our  visit,  and  pending  the  necessary  culinary 
arrangements,  invited  us  to  walk  through  his  dominions.  In  an 
adjacent  bay  we  were  pointed  out  the  place  where  Cook  had 
formerly  anchored  his  vessel,  a  matter  of  great  interest  to  the 
Tongans,  who  are  keenly  alive  to  the  fact  that  the  period  of 
Cook's  visit  formed  the  great  turning-point  in  their  history 


174  Cruise  of  the  "Alert." 

As  we  returned  to  the  villacje  we  found  that  the  natives  had 
collected   in  great  numbers  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  before 
mentioned  ;    so  we  squatted  down    on   the   grass,  taking  up  our 
places  with  the  chiefs  party,  so  as  to  occupy  the  base-line  of  a 
large  horseshoe-shaped  gathering  of  natives.    The  ceremony  began 
with  the  preparation  of  the  kava,  in -which  respect  the  Tongans 
now  differ  from  the  Fijians  in   reducing  the  root  to  a  pulpy  con- 
dition by  pounding  it  between   stones   instead   of  the   rather  dis- 
gusting process  of  mastication.     While  the  national  beverage  was 
being  prepared,  a  large  procession  of  women,  gaily  dressed,  and 
bearing  garlands,  shells,  and  similar  offerings,  filed  solemnly  into 
the  centre  of  the  group,  and  deposited  their  presents  at  the  feet 
of  Captain  Maclear  and  myself,  who  were  the  distinguished  guests 
on  this   occasion.      Sometimes   a   frolicsome   girl   would    place  a 
garland   round   one    of  our   necks,  and   then   trip   away,  laughing 
merrily.      When   the   kava  was  ready,  a  fine-looking  elderly  man, 
the  second  in  authority  in  the  village,  acted  as  master  of  the  cere- 
monies, and  gave  the  orders  for  carrying  out  the  various  details 
of  the  function.     As  the  cup-bearer  advanced  with  each  successive 
bowl  of  liquor,  this  venerable  functionary  called  out  in  order  of 
precedence   the  names  of  the  different  persons  who  were  to  be 
served,  beginning  with   the  visitors,  and   continuing   to   indicate 
each  one  by  name,  until  cverj'  one  of  the  whole  vast  assemblage 
— men  and  women — had  partaken.     As  soon  as  the  kava  drink- 
ing was  over,  a  procession  of  young  men  advanced  into  the  midst 
of  the  assemblage,  bearing  on  their  shoulders  palm-leaf  baskets 
which  contained  pigs   roasted  whole,  large  bunches  of  bananas, 
and  cocoanuts,  which  the)-  deposited   scridtim  at   our  feet.      The 
district  chief  then   made  a  short   speech,  informing   us,  through 
Wellington's  interpretation,  that  these  precious  gifts  were  also  at 
our   disposal.      Captain    Maclear   replied,   to   the   effect   that  we 
gratefully  accepted    the   present,  and   requested   that   it  might  be 
distributed   for  consumption    among   the   villagers.     Accordingly 
the  feast   was  spread,  and  eating,   drinking,   and    merry-making 


Strange  Caves.  175 

became  general.  Occasionally  one  of  the  girls  would  rise  from 
her  place,  and  after  lighting  a  cigarette,  of  which  the  cylinder 
was  composed  of  pandanus  leaf  instead  of  paper,  would  give  a 
few  puffs  from  her  own  swarthy  lips,  and  then  present  it  cour- 
teously to  one  of  us.  The  act  was  looked  on  as  a  delicate  way 
of  paying  a  compliment,  and  was  on  each  occasion  loudly  ap- 
plauded, the  damsel,  as  she  returned  among  her  friends,  seeming 
as  if  overcome  with  confusion  at  her  own  temerity.  When  the 
time  fixed  for  our  departure  arrived,  a  most  affectionate  shaking 
of  hands  took  place,  and  we  bade  good-bye  to  the  happy  little 
village  of  Hifo,  delighted  with  the  kindness,  hospitality,  and  good 
nature  of  these  far-famed  Friendly  Islanders. 

On  the  last  day  previous  to  our  departure  from  Tongatabu,  we 
made  an  excursion  to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Symonds,  the  British  Consul,  and  Mr.  Hanslip, 
the  consular  interpreter,  in  order  to  examine  some  caves  which 
were  said  to  be  of  an  unusuallj-  wonderful  nature.  They  had,  of 
course,  never  been  thoroughly  explored,  and  were  consequently 
said  to  be  of  prodigious  extent,  forming  long  tunnels  through  the 
island.  One  story  was  to  the  effect  that  an  adventurous  woman 
had  penetrated  one  branch  of  the  cave,  entering  on  the  south  side 
of  the  island,  and  threading  its  dark  recesses  for  many  days, 
until  she  finally  emerged  into  the  light  of  day  somewhere  near 
Nukualofa,  on   the  north  side  of  the  island. 

A  pleasant  drive  of  about  ten  miles  brought  us  to  the  shore 
of  a  small  bay  exposed  to  the  prevailing  wind,  and  receiving  on 
its  beach  the  full  fury  of  the  swell  of  the  main  ocean.  The 
foreshore  was  strewn  with  coral  debris,  and  above  high-water 
mark  were  quantities  of  pumice-stone,  probably  washed  up  from 
the  sides  of  the  neighbouring  volcanic  island  of  Uea.  On  cither 
side,  the  bay  was  hemmed  in  by  bold  projecting  crags  of  coral  , 
rock,  whose  faces  indicated,  by  parallel  tide  erosions,  that  they 
had  been  elevated  by  sudden  upheaval  into  their  present  position. 
About  one  hundred  yards  from  the   beach,  and   forty  feet   above 


176  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert." 

the  sea-level,  was  the  entrance  to  the  caves,  a  narrow  aperture 
in  the  upraised  coral  rock,  leading  by  a  rapid  incline  into  a 
spacious  vaulted  chamber,  from  whose  gloomy  recesses  dark  and 
forbidding  passages  led  in  various  directions.  In  the  floor  of  the 
chamber  were  deep  pools  of  water,  probabij-  communicating  with 
the  sea,  and  said  to  be  tenanted  by  a  species  of  blind  eel,  about 
two  feet  long,  which  we  were  told  the  natives  sometimes  caught 
with  hook  and  line,  and  fed  upon.  I  was  provided  with  fishing- 
tackle  for  capturing  a  specimen  of  this  singular  creature  ;  but  as 
several  of  our  party  were  induced  to  relieve  themselves  of  the 
intolerable  heat  of  the  cave  by  bathing  in  these  pools,  the  fish 
were  probably  scared  away,  and  1  was  unable  to  obtain  a  single 
specimen. 

The  rock  pierced  by  the  caverns  was  everywhere  of  coral 
formation,  and  as  water  freely  penetrated  through  from  the 
soilcap  above,  the  roof  and  floor  were  abundantly  decorated  with 
stalactites  and  stalagmites  in  all  their  usual  fantastic  splendour. 
I  noticed  that  many  parts  of  the  floor  of  the  cave  were  speckled 
with  white  spots  resembling  bird-droppings,  on  which  drops  of 
water  were  frequently  falling  from  the  roof  above,  and  I  formed 
the  opinion  that  the  white  colour  of  these  spots  was  due  to  the 
drops  of  water  which  pattered  on  them  having  traversed  a  portion 
of  the  ground  above,  from  which  they  did  not  receive  a  charge  of 
lime  salts,  and  consequently  washing  clean  the  portion  of  the 
coral  floor  on  which  they  fell,  instead  of  depositing  thereon  a 
calcareous  stalagmite.  This  surmise  was  strengthened  by  observing 
the  absence  of  stalactites  depending  from  the  roof  in  these 
situations. 

Numbers  of  small  swifts,  apparently  the  same  species  which  is 
common  on  the  island  {CoUocalia  spodiopy^id),  flitted  about  the 
vaulted  parts  of  the  cave,  looking  in  the  torchlight  like  bats, 
which  at  first  sight  I  felt  sure  they  must  be,  until  our  native 
guide  succeeded  in  catching  one  specimen,  which  resolved  our 
doubts.     We  traversed    the   more   open   parts   of  the  cave  to  a 


Oceanic  Phenomenon.  \~il 

distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance  ;  but 
finding  further  progress  all  but  impracticable,  from  the  narrowness 
of  the  passages,  and  the  quantity  of  water  of  uncertain  depth  to 
be  encountered,  we  soon  gave  up  the  attempt,  and  were  glad  to 
return  to  the  cool  and  clear  atmosphere  of  the  upper  air. 

During  the  voyage  from  Tonga  to  Fiji,  we  spent  a  good  deal 
of  time  in  hunting  up  the  reputed  positions  of  certain  doubtful 
"banks,"  viz.,  the  "  Culebras"  and  "La  Ranee"  banks,  with  a 
view  to  clearing  up  the  question  as  to  their  having  any  real 
existence  except  in  the  too  vivid  imaginations  of  the  discoverers. 
On  the  24th  of  November,  when  in  latitude  24^  25'  S.,  longitude 
1 84°  o'  W.,  we  steamed  over  the  position  assigned  by  the  chart 
to  the  "  La  Ranee"  bank,  and  here  our  sounding  line  ran  out  to 
three  hundred  fathoms  without  touching  bottom,  thus  sufficiently 
establishing  the  non-existence  of  any  such  "  bank."  Our  position 
at  this  time  may  be  roughly  stated  as  some  two  hundred  miles  to 
the  southward  of  Tongatabu.  During  the  greater  portion  of  the 
day,  the  sea-surface  exhibited  large  patches  of  discoloured  water, 
due  to  the  presence  of  a  fluffy  substance  of  a  dull  brown  colour, 
which  in  consistency  and  general  arrangement  resembled  the 
vegetable  scum  commonly  seen  floating  on  the  stagnant  water  of 
ditches.  This  matter  floated  on  the  surface  in  irregularly-shaped 
streaky  patches,  and  also  in  finely-divided  particles  impregnated 
the  sea-water  to  a  depth  of  several  feet.  Samples  were  obtained 
by  "  dipping"  with  a  bucket  as  well  as  with  the  tow-net,  and 
when  submitted  to  microscopic  examination  it  proved  to  be 
composed  of  multitudes  of  minute  Confervoid  alga.  On  slightly 
agitating  the  water  in  a  glass  jar,  the  fluffy  masses  broke  up  into 
small  particles,  which,  under  a  magnifying  power  of  sixty  diameters, 
were  seen  to  be  composed  of  spindle-shaped  bundles  of  filaments. 
Under  a  power  of  five  hundred  diameters,  these  filaments  were 
further  resolved  into  straight  or  slightly-curved  rods,  articulated 
but  not  branching,  and  divided  by  transverse  septa  into  cylindrical 
cells,  which  contained  irregularly-shaped  masses  of  granular  matter. 

12 


178  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert." 

These  rods,  which  seemed  to  represent  the  adult  plant,  measured 
uwu  '"'^'''  '"  width.  On  careful  examination  of  many  specimens, 
some  filaments  were  observed,  portions  of  which  seemed  to  have 
undergone  a  sort  of  varicose  enlargement,  having  a  width  two  or 
three  times  that  of  the  normal  filaments.  These  propagating 
filaments  (if  I  am  right  in  so  calling  them)  were  invested  by  a 
delicate  tubular  membrane,  and  were  filled  with  a  granular  semi- 
transparent  matter,  in  which  were  imbedded  a  number  of  discoid 
bodies  which  were  being  discharged  one  by  one  from  the  ruptured 
extremity  of  the  tube.  These  bodies  measured  -^^qj^  of  an  inch 
in  diameter :  when  viewed  edgewise  they  presented  a  lozenge- 
shaped  appearance,  and  they  were  devoid  of  cilirc  or  stri.e.  A  jar 
full  of  the  sea-water  was  put  by  until  the  following  day,  when  it 
was  found  that  the  confcrvoid  matter  had  all  risen  to  the  surface, 
forming  a  thick  scum  of  a  dull  green  colour,  while  the  underlying 
water  was  of  a  pale  purple  colour,  resembling  the  tint  produced 
by  a  weak  solution  of  permanganate  of  potash. 

From  the  24th  to  the  29th  of  November,  during  which  time 
the  ship  traversed  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  we  were 
surrounded  by  these  organisms  ;  during  the  first  three  days  the 
large  patches  were  frequently  in  sight,  and  for  the  rest  of  the 
time  the  sea  presented  a  dusty  appearance,  from  the  presence  of 
finely-divided  particles.  On  the  evening  of  the  25th  an  unusually 
dense  patch  was  sighted,  and  mistaken  for  a  reef,  being  reported 
as  such  by  the  look-out  man  aloft. 

On  the  28th  November  I  encountered  among  the  proceeds  of 
the  tow-net  another  minute  alga,  of  quite  a  different  appearance 
from  that  just  described.  It  was  composed  of  vermiform  rods 
To'oo  '""^^^  '"  width,  and  breaking  up  into  cylindrical  segmcHts 
with  biconcave  ends. 

We  returned  to  Levuka  on  the  4th  of  December,  and  stayed 
in  harbour  for  ten  days.  At  this  time  we  had  dismal  wet  weather, 
and  consequently  little  was  done  in  the  way  of  exploration.  I 
received  a  visit  Uom  a  Mr.  IJojd  of  W'aidou,  a  colonist,  who  has 


Curiosities  of  tlte  Sea  Surface.  179 

resided  for  the  last  sixteen  years  in  Fiji,  and  who  has  spent  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  in  collecting  natural  history  specimens. 
He  very  Undly  presented  me  with  some  crania,  three  of  natives 
of  Mallicollo,  New  Hebrides,  and  two  from  Mcrilava  in  Bank's 
Group. 

We  anchored  at  Suva  for  part  of  a  day,  in  order  to  fill  up 
with  coal,  and  then  proceeded  on  our  voyage  to  Sydney. 

I  made  frequent  use  of  the  tow-net  during  this  cruise,  obtaining 
thereby  a  great  quantity  and  variety  of  surface  organisms.  Among 
these  were  representatives  of  Thalassicolla,  Pyrocystis,  Phyllosoma, 
Sagitta,  Eurybia,  Atlanta,  etc.  I  obtained  one  specimen  of  a 
curious  Annelid.  It  was  two  inches  in  width,  had  two  prominent 
ruby-coloured  eyes,  and  was  marked  along  its  snakclike  body  by 
a  double  row  of  conspicuous  black  dots. 

One  day,  as  were  lying  almost  becalmed,  a  few  hundred  miles 
from  the  Australian  coast,  we  passed  into  the  midst  of  a  great 
flock  of  brown  petrels,  who  were  sitting  on  the  water  grouped  in 
the  form  of  a  chain,  and  apparently  feeding.  I  had  the  tow-net 
out,  and  after  dragging  it  for  about  half  a  mile,  brought  it  in,  and 
found  it  to  contain  a  mass  of  yellow-coloured  cylindrical  and 
oval  bodies  belonging  to  the  group  ThalassicolUda.  The  cylin- 
drical bodies  were  about  one  inch  in  long  diameter,  by  \  of  an 
inch  in  width,  and  those  of  an  oval  shape  were  about  -^^  inch  in 
long  diameter.  They  proved  to  be  mere  gelatinous  sacks,  without 
any  appearance  of  digestive  or  locomotary  organs.  The  thin 
membranous  wall  was  dotted  over  thickly  with  dark  cells  of  a 
spherical  or  oval  shape,  each  of  which  contained  from  three  to 
nine  light-coloured  nuclei.  On  examining  one  of  the  oval  bodies 
under  a  magnifying  power  of  forty  diameters,  the  clear  transparent 
nature  of  the  interior  of  the  organism  allowed  the  cells  on  the 
distal  side  to  be  seen  out  of  focus  with  misty  outlines,  while  the 
cells  on  the  proximal  wall,  which  was  in  focus,  came  out  sharp 
and  clear,   and  I'ice  versd. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  EAST  COAST  OF  AUSTRALIA. 

WE  remained  at  Sydney,  refitting  ship  and  enjoying  the  unac- 
customed pleasures  of  civilized  society,  from  the  23rd  of 
January,  1881,  until  the  i6th  of  April,  1 88 1,  but  as  little  of 
general  interest  occurred  during  this  period,  and  as  Sydney  with 
its  surroundings  is  a  place  about  which  so  much  has  been  written 
by  better  pens  than  mine,  I  think  I  shall  be  exercising  a  judicious 
discretion  by  passing  over  this  period  in  silence,  and  resuming  the 
narrative  from  the  time  when  we  started  on  our  next  surveying 
cruise. 

On  leaving  Sydney  we  received  a  welcome  addition  to  our 
numbers  in  the  person  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Haswell,  a  professional 
zoologist,  residing  at  Sydney,  who  expressed  a  wish  to  accompany 
us  as  far  as  Torres  Straits,  in  order  that  he  might  have  opportuni- 
ties of  studying  the  crustacean  fauna  of  the  east  coast  of  Australia. 
He  was  consequently  enrolled  as  an  honorary  member  of  our 
mess,  and  Captain  Maclear  kindly  accommodated  him  with  a 
sleeping  place  in  his  cabin.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Haswell  for 
much  valuable  information  concerning  the  marine  zoology  of 
Australia. 

Steaming  northwards,  along  the  east  coast  of  Australia,  the  first 
place  at  which  we  anchored  was  Port  Curtis,  in  Queensland,  where 
we  took  up  a  berth  in  the  outer  roads  close  to  the  Gatcombe  Head 
lighthouse.     The  place  bore  a  rather  desolate  appearance.     There 


Port  Curtis — 'A  ''Labour   Vessel."  iSi 

was  no  building  in  sight  except  the  lighthouse.     The  beach  was 
lined  with  a  dense  fringe  of  mangrove  bushes,  behind  which  rose 
a  straggling  forest  of  gums  and  grass  trees  {Xanthorred),  and  for 
a  long  time  we  saw  no  living  thing  excepting  several  large  fish- 
eagles  {Haliaetus  leucogaster),  and  an  odd  gull  that  hovered  about 
our  stern,  picking  up  the  garbage  that  drifted  away  from  the  ship. 
On  the  following  morning  two  of  us  landed  and  set  to  work  to 
explore   the  mudflats,  which,  stretching  out  for   a  long  distance 
from  the  beach,  were  laid  bare  by  the  ebb  tide.     As  we  ranged 
along  in  search  of  nlarine  curiosities,  we  encountered  a  solitary 
individual  attired  in  the  light  and  airy  costume  of  a  pajama  sleep- 
ing suit,  and  carrying  a  Westly- Richards  rifle  on  his   shoulder. 
We  soon  made  his  acquaintance,  and  found  that  he  was  in  quest 
of  wild  goats,  the  descendants  of  some  domestic  animals  originally 
let  loose  by  the  keeper  of  the  lighthouse.     He  was  an  Englishman 
named  Eastlake,  and  held  the  position  of  "government  immigration 
agent"  on  board  a  ninety-ton  schooner,  the  Isabella,  which  at  the 
time  was  anchored  just  outside  the  lighthouse  point,  awaiting  a 
favourable  wind  to  enable  her  to  put  to  sea.      She  was  engaged  in 
the  "labour  traffic"  and  was  just  then  about  to  return  to  the  Solomon 
Islands  with  some  "time-expired"  native  labourers.     The  Queens- 
land government  compels  every    vessel  engaged  in  the  "  labour 
traffic"  to  carry  an  immigration   agent,  who  is  accredited   to  and 
salaried  by  the  government.      His  duty  is  to  see  that  the  natives 
who  arc  shipped  from  the  islands  for  transit  to  Queensland  come 
of  their  own  free  will,  and  under  a  proper  contract,  and  that  during 
the  voyage  they  are  treated  well  and  are  furnished  with  proper 
accommodation,  and  are  dieted  according  to  a  scale  laid  down  by 
the  government.      In  the  afternoon  I  accompanied  Mr.  Eastlake 
on  board.     The  Isabella,  a  vessel  of  ninety  tons,  was  allowed  to 
carry   eighty-five  natives  besides  her  crew  of  some  half-a-dozen 
hands.      She  had   now  on   board   about  a  dozen  natives  of  New 
Hebrides,  who  had  completed  their  time  as  contract  labourers  in 
Queensland,  and  were  about  to  be  returned  to  their  island  home. 


1 82  Cr^iisc  of  the  ''  Akrtr 

The  skipper  of  the  vessel  was  an  old  Welshman,  who,  in  the  true 
spirit  of  hospitality,  did  the  honours  of  the  ship,  and  pressed  me 
to  partake  of  such  luxuries  as  the  stores  in  his  cuddy  afforded. 

Among  the  articles  which  the  New  Hebrides  men  had  pur- 
chased in  Queensland  with  the  proceeds  of  their  labours  were 
a  number  of  old  muskets,  which  they  seemed  to  set  great  store 
bj-.  These  weapons  are  probably  destined  to  be  brought  into 
action  against  some  future  "labour  vessel,"  or  "slaver,"  as  they 
are  commonly  called  by  the  Australians,  which  may  violate  the 
provision  of  the  "  Kidnapping  Act "  by  forcible  abduction  of 
natives. 

We  worked  the  dredge  from  the  ship  as  she  swung  round  her 
anchor  in  seven  fathoms  of  water,  and  also  dragged  it  from  a  boat 
m  shallower  water  inshore.  Conspicuous  by  their  abundance 
amongst  the  contents  of  the  dredge,  and  by  their  curious  habit 
of  making  a  loud  snapping  noise  with  the  large  pincer-claw,  were 
the  shrimps  of  the  genus  Alpheus.  When  placed  in  water  in  a 
glass  jar,  the  sound  produced  exactly  resembles  the  snap  which  is 
heard  when  a  tumbler  is  cracked  from  unequal  expansion  by  hot 
water.  We  also  obtained  a  good  many  whitish  fleshy  Gorgonice, 
and  among  Polyzoa  the  genera  Crista  and  Escliara  afforded  a  good 
many  specimens.  A  moderate-sized  hrowmsh  _Astero/<hylon  was 
generally  found  entangled  in  the  swabs,  but  in  most  cases  some 
of  its  brittle  limbs  had  parted  company  with  the  disc,  so  that  wc 
got  scarcely  a  single  perfect  specimen.  A  good  many  crabs  were 
found  on  the  foreshore ;  among  others  were  species  of  the  genera 
Ozius,  Gelasimus,  and  Thalassina ;  the  latter  a  lobster-like  cru- 
stacean which  burrows  deeply  in  the  mud  about  the  mangrove 
bushes,  and  throws  up  around  the  aperture  of  its  burrow  a  conical 
pile  of  mud. 

On  April  23rd  we  got  under  way,  and  steamed  for  five  miles 
further  up  the  bay,  anchoring  immediately  off  the  settlement  of 
"  Gladstone."  Nothing  could  exceed  the  hospitality  shown  to  us 
by  the   inhabitants  of  this  quiet   little   Utopia.      Our  stay  of  five 


Comvioti  Birds — Percy  Islands.  183 

days  was  occupied  by  an  almost  continuous  round  of  festivities, 
during  whicli  we  were  driven  about  the  country,  liad  a  cricket- 
match,  shooting  expeditions,  two  balls  in  the  Town  Hall,  and 
sundry  other  amusements.  The  settlement  contains  a  population 
of  only  300,  and  seems  to  have  been  of  late  years  rather  receding 
than  advancing  in  numbers,  as  many  of  the  settlers  had  moved  on 
to  other  more  promising  centres  of  industry.  There  was  the  old 
story  of  a  projected  railway  which  Was  to  open  up  the  country, 
develop  its  hidden  resources,  connect  it  with  the  neighbouring 
town  of  Rockhampton — distant  about  w-ighty  miles — and  give  a 
fresh  impetus  to  trade  ;  but  the  hopes  of  its  construction  were 
visionary. 

We  made  several  shooting  excursions  in  quest  of  bird  specimens, 
and  found  the  pied  grallina  {G.  picata),  the  butcher  bird  (a  species 
of  Granculiis),  the  garrulous  honeycater  {^Myzaittlui  garyula),  the 
laughing  jackass  {Dacclo  gigas),  and  many  doves  and  flycatchers 
abundant  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  settlement.  Walking 
one  day  through  the  forest  about  two  miles  inland,  we  came  upon 
a  grove  of  tall  eucalyptus  trees,  on  the  upper  branches  of  which 
were  myriads  of  paroquets,  making  an  almost  deafening  noise  as 
they  flew  hither  and  thither,  feeding  on  the  fragrant  blossoms. 
Among  them  were  three  species  of  Trichoglossus,  viz.,  T.  Novce 
Hollaiidice,  T.  riibitorqnis,  and  T.  chrysocolla.  We  also  shot  speci- 
mens of  the  friar  bird  {Tropidorhyncus  coniiadatus),  and  several 
honcyeaters,  flycatchers,  and  shrikes  ;  so  that  as  a  place  for  bird 
collecting  it  was  exceedingly  rich,  both  in  numbers  and  species. 

We  got  under  way  on  the  30th  of  April,  in  the  morning,  and 
on  the  following  day  anchored  off  the  largest  and  most  northern 
of  the  Percy  Islands.  I  landed  with  HaswcU  in  the  afternoon, 
and  after  exploring  the  beach  in  search  of  marine  specimens,  wc 
directed  our  steps  towards  the  interior  of  the  island.  We  followed 
a  narrow  winding  foot  track,  which  led  us  to  a  rudclj'-built  hut,  in 
which  dwelt  an  old  Australian  colonist  named  Captain  Allen,  to 
whom    the    island    virtually    belongs.      He    had    a    small    kitchen 


1 84  Cruise  0/ the  "Akrty 

garden  in  the  bed  of  a  valley,  through  which  ran  a  tiny  stream  ; 
and  his  live  stock  consisted  of  a  herd  of  goats  and  a  number  of 
poultry.  We  understood  that  he  intended  eventually  to  undertake 
regular  farming  operations,  but  that  he  at  present  merely  occupied 
the  land  in  order  to  retain  the  "  pre-emptive "  right  until  the 
Queensland  government  should  be  in  a  position  to  sell  or  let  it. 
It  appeared  that  as  yet  it  was  not  certain  whether  the  colonial 
government  had  a  clear  title  to  the  group  of  islands,  or  whether — 
being  on  tlic  Great  Barrier  Reef,  and  detached  from  the  mainland 
by  a  considerable  distance — it  was  still  under  the  control  and 
jurisdiction  of  the  imperial  government. 

We  noticed  verj'  few  birds  :  among  these  were  a  Ptilotis,  a  fly- 
catcher, a  crow,  and  a  heron  ;  but  we  were  told  that  in  the  less 
frequented  parts  of  the  island  there  were  brush  turkeys,  native 
pheasants,  and  black  cockatoos. 

Among  the  rocks  bordering  the  shore,  a  large  white-tailed  raf 
— probably  of  the  genus  Ilydroniys — was   said   to   be  abundant. 
The  only  other  mammal  recorded  was  a  large  fox-bat,  a  skeleton 
of  which  was  found  hanging  on  a  mangrove  bush. 

We  left  our  anchorage  at  the  Percy  Islands  on  the  morning  of 
the  2nd  of  May,  and  on  the  forenoon  of  the  3rd  steamed  into  the 
sheltered  waters  of  Port  Molle,  i.e.,  into  the  strait  which  separates 
Long  Island  from  the  main  shore  of  Queensland  ;  and  we  finally 
came  to  an  anchor  in  a  shallow  bay  on  the  west  side  of  Long 
Island,  where  we  lay  at  a  distance  of  about  half-a-mile  from  the 
shore. 

The  island  presented  the  appearance  of  undulating  hills,  covered 
for  the  most  part  with  a  thick  growth  of  tropical  forms  of  vege- 
tation, but  exhibiting  a  few  patches  of  land  devoid  of  tree^  and 
bearing  a  rich  crop  of  long  tangled  grasses.  On  landing,  we 
found  that  there  was  no  soil,  properly  so-called,  but  that  the 
forest  trees,  scrub,  and  grass  sprung  from  a  surface  layer  of  shingle, 
which  on  close  inspection  contrasted  strangely  with  the  rich  and 
verdant    flora  which  it   nourished.      Small   flocks  of  great   white 


Port  RIollc — Queensland  Aborigines.  185 

cockatoos  flew  around  and  above  the  summits  of  the  tallest  trees, 
and  by  the  incessant  scrcaniing  which  they  maintained,  gave  one 
the  idea  tliat  the  avifauna  was  more  abundant  than  we  eventually 
found  it  to  be.  On  the  beach  we  collected  shells  of  the  genera 
Nerita,  Terebra,  Siliqiiaria,  and  Ostraa,  and  among  the  dry  hot 
stones  above  high  water  mark  we  found  in  great  numbers  an 
Isopod  Crustacean,  and  as  the  females  were  bearing  ova,  Haswell 
took  the  opportunity  to  make  some  researches  into  the  mode  of 
development  of  the  embryo. 

I  spent  another  day  accompanying  Navigating-LieutenantPetley, 
who  was  then  cruising  from  point  to  point  in  one  of  our  whale- 
boats,  determining  on  the  positions  for  maintriangulation.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  we  visited  the  lighthouse  on  Dean  Island,  and 
on  arriving  there  found  a  large  concourse  of  blacks  on  the  hill 
above,  looking  on  our  intrusion  with  great  consternation.  The 
lighthouse  people  told  us  that  the  natives,  from  their  different 
camps  on  the  island,  had  observed  our  approach  while  we  were 
yet  a  long  distance  off,  and  hastily  concluding  that  we  were  a 
party  of  black  police  coming  to  disperse  {i.e.,  shoot)  them,  had 
fled  with  precipitation  from  all  parts  of  the  island,  to  seek  the 
protection  of  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  lighthouse.  It  appeared 
that  some  few  years  previously  the  natives  of  Port  Molle  had 
treacherously  attacked  and  murdered  the  shipwrecked  crew  of  a 
schooner,  and  in  requital  for  this  the  Queensland  Government  had 
made  an  example  of  them  by  letting  loose  a  party  of  "  black 
police,"  who,  with  their  rifles,  had  made  fearful  havoc  among  the 
comparatively  unarmed  natives.  The  "  black  police,"  or  "  black 
troopers,"  as  they  are  more  commonly  called,  are  a  gang  of  half- 
reclaimed  aborigines,  enrolled  and  armed  as  policemen,  who  are 
distributed  over  various  parts  of  the  colony,  and  are  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  the  white  police  inspectors.  Their  skill 
as  bush  "  trackers "  is  too  well  known  to  need  description,  and 
the  peculiar  ferocity  with  which  they  behave  towards  their  own 
countrymen   is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  drawn    from  a  part 


1 86  Cruise  of  the  "Akrtr 

of  the  continent  remote  from  the  scene  of  their  future  labours,  and 
from  tribes  hostile  to  those  against  which  they  are  intended  to  act. 
Through  their  instrumentality  the  aborigines  of  Queensland  are 
being  gradually  exterminated.  In  the  official  reports  of  their 
proceedings,  when  sent  to  operate  against  a  troublesome  party  of 
natives,  the  verb  "  to  disperse  "  is  playfully  substituted  for  the 
harsher  term  "  to  shoot." 

But  to  return  to  our  friends  at  Dean  Island.  Our  peaceful 
aspect,  and  a  satisfactory  explanation  on  the  part  of  the  white 
people  in  charge  of  the  lighthouse,  soon  set  matters  right,  and 
the  wretched  blacks  were  now  so  delighted  at  finding  their  fears 
to  be  groundless,  that  they  crowded  about  us — male  and  female 
— to  the  number  of  forty  or  fifty,  brought  us  some  boomerangs 
for  barter,  and  finally  shared  our  lunch  of  preserved  meat  and 
coffee,  of  which  we  partook  on  the  rocks  near  where  the  boat  was 
moored.  I  was  surprised  at  noticing  a  large  proportion  of  children, 
a  circumstance  which  does  not  support  one  of  the  views  put  for- 
ward to  account  for  the  rapid  decrease  in  numbers  of  the  race. 

Most  of  the  men  had  a  certain  amount  of  clothing,  scanty  and 
ragged  though  it  was,  but  the  children  were  all  stark  naked,  and 
some  of  the  women  were  so  scantily  attired  that  the  requirements 
of  decency  were  not  at  all  provided  for.  They  seemed  to  be 
fairly  well  nourished,  and  from  their  cheerful  disposition  I  should 
imagine  that  they  were  not  undergoing  any  privations  which  to 
them  would  be  irksome. 

On  re-embarking,  we  sailed  along  the  western  shore  of  the  island, 
and  again  landed  in  a  small  bay  about  a  mile  to  the  northward  of 
the  lighthouse.  We  then  proceeded  to  ascend  a  hill,  on  which 
Petley  wished  to  erect  a  mark  for  surveying  purposes.  The 
natives,  although  quick  enough  about  following  us  along  the  sea- 
shore, showed  no  inclination  to  follow  us  up  the  hill-side,  and 
before  we  had  gone  a  few  hundred  yards  they  had  all  dropped 
off*.      Possibly  the  fear  of  snakes  was  the  deterring  influence. 

Port   MoUe   proved    to   be    an    excellent    place    for    obtaining 


Jllarme  Zoology.  187 

examples  of  the  marine  fauna  of  this  part  of  the  coast.  A  great 
extent  of  reefs  was  exposed  at  low  spring  tides,  exhibiting  Corals 
of  the  groups  Astrxa,  Alcandrina,  Poritcs,  Tiibipora,  Orbicella, 
and  Caryopliyllia,  besides  a  profusion  of  soft  Alcyonarian  Polyps. 
Holothurians  were  abundant,  as  were  also  some  large  Tubicolous 
Annelids,  with  very  long  gelatinous  threadlike  tentacles.  We 
also  got  a  few  Po/ynoes,  and  several  other  annelids  of  the  family 
Avipliinomidce.  A  Sqnilla,  with  variegated  greenish  markings  on 
the  test,  made  itself  remarkable  by  the  vigour  with  which  it 
/esented  one's  attempts,  for  the  most  part  unintentional,  to  invade 
the  privacy  of  its  retreat.  An  active  black  Goiiiograpsus  was  a 
common  object  on  the  reefs,  and  the  widely  distributed  Grapsus 
variegatus  was  also  met  with.  Haswell  obtained  from  the  interior 
of  the  large  Pinna  shells  examples  of  a  curious  small  lobstcr-likc 
crustacean,  which  is  of  parasitic — or  perhaps  rather  commensal — 
habit,  like  Pinnotheres.  Not  uncommon  in  the  rock  pools  was  a 
bivalve  shell  of  the  genus  Lima,  which  on  being  disturbed  swims 
about  in  a  most  lively  manner  by  flapping  its  elongated  valves, 
exhibiting  at  the  same  time  a  scarlet  mantle  fringed  with  a  row 
of  long  prehensile  tentacles.  Shells  of  the  genera  Area,  Tridacna, 
and  Hippopiis  were  common,  and  three  or  four  species  of  Cyprcea 
were  seen. 

We  dredged  several  times  with  one  of  the  steam  cutters  in 
depths  varying  from  twelve  to  twenty  fathoms,  obtaining  several 
species  of  Comatulas,  two  or  three  Asterophytons,  Starfishes, 
Ophiurids,  Echini  of  the  genera  Salntacis  and  Goniocidaris,  small 
Holothurians,  many  species  of  Annelids,  two  or  three  Sponges, 
a  great  variety  of  handsome  Gorgonire,  Hydroids  of  the  group 
Sertiilaria  and  Plumidaria,  Polyzoa  of  the  genera  Eschar  a,  Retepora, 
Myriozouin,  Cellepora,  Bifliistra,  Salicornaria,  Crista,  Scriipoccllaria, 
Aviathea,  etc.,  and  Crustaceans  of  the  genera  Myra,  Hiastemis, 
Landiris,  Alphcus,  Huenia,  and  many  others.  Among  the  Annelids 
was  one  with  long  glassy  opalescent  bristles  surrounding  the  oral 
aperture,  and  projecting  forwards  to  a  distance  of  one  and  a  half 


i88  Cruise  of  the  ''AUrtr 

inches  from  the  pracstomium.  Another  Annelid  (species  unknown) 
was  peculiar  in  having  two  long  barb-like  tentacles  projecting  back- 
wards from  the  under  part  of  the  head.  On  examining  the  pro- 
boscis of  the  latter,  while  it  was  resting  in  sea-water  in  a  glass 
trough,  Haswell  noticed  a  number  of  singular  bodies  being  extruded 
from  the  mouth,  which  he  eventually  ascertained,  to  his  great 
astonishment,  were  the  partially  developed  young  of  the  worm. 

One  of  the  large  Asterophytons  which  came  up  with  the  dredge 
was  seen  to  exhibit  nodular  swellings  on  several  parts  of  the 
arms,  but  principally  at  the  points  of  bifurcation.  Each  of  these 
swellings  was  provided  with  one  or  more  small  apertures,  and  had 
the  general  appearance  of  being  a  morbid  growth.  On  incising 
the  dense  cystwall  a  cavity  was  exposed,  containing  a  tiny  red 
gastropodous  mollusc  (of  the  genus  Stilifer),  enveloped  in  a  mass 
of  cheesy  matter,  which  contained  moreover  one  or  two  spherical 
white  pellets  of  (probably)  fcecal  matter.  Haswell  obtained  about 
a  dozen  specimens  of  the  shell  from  a  single  astcrophyton. 

Port  Denison  is  only  forty  miles  to  the  northward  of  Port 
Molle,  so  that  we  accomplished  the  passage  in  about  six  hours, 
and  before  dusk  took  up  a  berth  in  the  shallow  bay  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  shore,  and  three-quarters  from  the  end  of  a 
long  wooden  pier,  which  was  built  some  years  ago  in  the  vain  hope 
of  developing  the  shipping  trade  of  the  port.  The  township  of 
"  Bovven  "  is  built  on  a  larger  scale  than  "  Gladstone  " — of  which 
we  had  such  pleasant  reminiscences — but  did  not  appear  to  be  in 
a  more  flourishing  condition,  a  "  gold  rush  "  further  to  the  north- 
ward having  drawn  off  part  of  the  population,  and  some  of  the 
trade  which  had  previously  gone  through  the  port.  On  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town  were  some  large  encampments  of  the  blacks, 
who  lived  in  a  primitive  condition,  and  afforded  an  interesting 
study  for  an  ethnologist.  Like  most  of  the  Australian  aborigines, 
their  huts  were  little  better  than  shelter  screens  to  protect  them 
from  the  wind  and  sun.  In  some  instances  the  twigs' on  the  lee 
side  of  a  bush,  rudely  interlaced  with  a  few  leafy  boughs  torn  from 


Flight  of  Boomerang.  \  89 

the  neighbouring  trees,  afforded  all  the  shelter  that  was  required. 
Both  men  and  women,  especially  the  latter,  seemed  to  be  in  a 
filthy,  degraded  state.  They  had  just  received  their  yearly  gifts 
of  blankets  from  the  Queensland  Government — I  believe  the  only 
return  which  they  receive  for  the  appropriation  of  their  land.  It 
appears,  however,  that  they  do  not  much  appreciate  the  donation, 
for  soon  after  the  general  issue  many  of  the  blankets  are  bartered 
with  the  whites  for  tobacco  and  grog.  Some  of  the  young  men 
are  really  fine-looking  fellows,  and  seemed  to  feel  all  the  pride  of 
life  and  liberty  as  they  strutted  about  encumbered  with  a  variety 
of  their  native  weapons,  among  which  I  saw  the  nulla,  waddy, 
shield,  huge  wooden  sword,  spear  without  throwing-stick,  and 
different  patterns  of  boomerangs.  They  are  very  expert  in  the  use 
of  the  latter.  It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  seen  the  boomerang 
thrown,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  its  performances,  when  manipu- 
lated by  a  skilful  hand,  fully  realized  my  expectations.  I  noticed 
that  whatever  gyrations  it  was  intended  to  execute,  it  was  always 
delivered  from  the  hand  of  the  thrower  with  its  concave  side  fore- 
most— a  circumstance  I  was  not  previously  aware  of.  Some  of 
the  children  were  amusing  themselves  in  practising  the  art,  using 
instead  of  the  regular  boomerang  short  pieces  of  rounded  stick 
bent  to  about  the  usual  angle  of  the  finished  weapon  ;  and  I  was 
surprised  at  noticing  that  even  these  rude  substitutes  could  be 
made  to  dart  forward,  wheel  in  the  air,  and  return  to  near  the 
feet  of  the  thrower.  I  had  always  imagined  up  to  this  time  that 
the  flat  surface  was  an  essential  feature  in  the  boomerang. 

The  foreshore  at  low-water  afforded  us  examples  of  a  great 
many  flat  Echinoderms  of  the  genus  Peronella,  Starfishes  of  the 
genus  Asteracanthiis,  and  Crustaceans  of  the  genera  Macrophthal- 
miis,  Matuta,  Myctcris,  etc.  We  made  several  hauls  of  the  dredge 
in  four  to  five  fathoms  of  water,  obtaining  a  quantity  of  large 
Starfishes  and  Gorgonias,  and  Crustaceans  of  the  family  Porcel- 
lanid(B. 

We  left  Port  Denison  on  the  24th  of  May,  and  continued  our 


I  go  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert." 

coasting  voyage  northward,  anchoring  successive  nights  off  Cape 
Bowhng  Green,  Hinchinbrock  Island,  Fitzroy  Island,  Cooktown, 
and  Lizard  Island.  We  landed  at  the  island  last  mentioned  for 
a  few  hours.  On  the  shore  of  the  bay  in  which  we  anchored  was 
a  "  Beche-de-mer  "  establishment,  belonging  to  a  Cooktown  firm, 
and  worked  by  a  party  of  two  white  men,  three  Chinese,  and  six 
Kanakas.  The  buildings  consisted  of  two  or  three  rudely-built 
dwelling  huts,  and  a  couple  of  sheds  for  curing  and  storing  the 
trepangs.  We  learned  from  the  "  Boss  "  that  his  men  had  been 
working  the  district  for  the  previous  twelve  months,  and  having 
now  cleared  off  the  trepangs  from  all  the  neighbouring  reefs, 
he  expected  soon  to  move  on  to  some  other  location  further 
north. 

The  Bcche-de-Mer  industry  seems  simple  enough  to  conduct. 
The  sluggish  animals  are  picked  off  the  reefs  at  low  tide,  and  at 
the  close  of  each  day  the  produce  as  soon  as  landed  is  transferred 
to  a  huge  iron  tank,  propped  up  on  stones,  in  which  it  is  boiled. 
The  trepangs  are  then  slit  open,  cleaned,  and  spread  out  on 
gratings  in  a  smoke-house  until  dry,  when  they  are  ready  for 
shipping  to  the  Chinese  market.  The  best  trepangs  arc  the  short 
stiff  black  ones  with  prominent  tubercles. 

Since  the  above  notes  were  written,  a  horrible  catastrophe 
occurred  at  Lizard  Island.  The  bulk  of  the  party  had  gone  on 
a  cruise  among  the  islands  to  the  northward,  leaving  the  station 
in  charge  of  a  white  woman — wife  of  one  of  the  proprietors — and 
two  Chinamen.  A  party  of  Queensland  blacks  came  over  from 
the  mainland,  massacred  these  three  wretched  people,  and  de- 
stroyed all  the  property  on  the  station. 

On  the  evening  of  the  29th  of  May  we  anchored  off  Flinders 
Island,  in  latitude  14°  8'  S.,  and  before  darkness  came  on  we 
spent  a  few  hours  in  exploring.  The  shore  on  which  \vc  landed 
was  covered  with  large  blocks  of  quartzite  stained  with  o.xide  of 
iron,  and  disseminated  among  them  were  many  large  irregularly- 
shaped  masses  of  h.xmatite.      Immediately  above  the  beach,  and 


Clack  Island.  19 1 

among  the  familiar  screw-pines,  we  saw  a  few  fan  palms,  the  first 
met  with  on  our  northern  voyage. 

Groping  among  the  rocks  of  the  foreshore,  I  encountered  a 
multitude  of  crabs  of  the  gcncvd.  For cellana  and  Gnrpsits,  and 
caught  after  much  trouble  a  large  and  uncommonly  fierce  speci- 
men of  the  Parainpclia  saxicola.  On  anchoring,  the  dredge  had 
been  lowered  from  the  ship,  and  when  hauled  up  after  the  ship 
had  swung  somewhat  with  the  tide,  a  curious  species  of  Spatangus, 
a  Leiicosia,  and  a  somewhat  mutilated  Phlyxia,  were  obtained. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  I  accompanied  Captain  Maclear 
and  Mr.  Haswell  on  a  boat  trip  to  Clack  Island  (five  miles  from 
our  anchorage).  We  were  anxious  to  sec  and  examine  some 
drawings  by  the  Australian  aborigines,  which  were  discovered  in 
the  year  1821  by  Mr.  Cunningham,  of  the  Beagle,  (see  "King's 
Australia,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  25),  and  since  probably  unvisited.  After 
about  an  hour's  sailing  we  reached  the  island — a  bold  mass  of 
dark  rock  resembling  in  shape  a  gunner's  quoin  ;  but  we  now 
found  it  no  easy  matter  to  find  a  landing-place.  On  the  south- 
east extremity  was  a  precipitous  rocky  bluff  about  eighty  feet  in 
height,  against  whose  base  the  sea  broke  heavily,  while  the  rest  of 
the  island- — low  and  fringed  with  mangroves — was  fenced  in  by 
a  broad  zone  of  shallow  water,  strewn  with  boulders  and  coral 
knolls,  over  which  the  sea  rose  and  fell  in  a  manner  dangerous  to 
the  integrity  of  the  boat.  After  many  trials  and  much  risk  to  the 
boat,  we  at  length  succeeded  in  jumping  ashore  near  the  south- 
east or  weather  extremity  of  the  island.  Here  we  found  abundant 
traces  of  its  having  been  frequently  visited  by  natives,  but  it 
did  not  appear  as  if  they  had  been  there  during  at  least  half- 
a-dozen  years  prior  to  the  time  of  our  visit.  We  saw  the  draw- 
ings, as  described  by  Cunningham,  covering  the  sides  and  roofs  of 
galleries  and  grottoes,  which  seemed  to  have  been  excavated  by 
atmospheric  influences  in  a  black  fissile  shale.  This  shale,  which 
gave  a  banded  appearance  to  the  cliff,  was  disposed  in  strata  of 
about   five  feet  \n   thickness,  and  was   interbedded  with  strata  of 


192  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

pebbly  conglomerate — the  common  rock  of  the  islet.  In  these 
excavations,  almost  every  available  surface  of  smooth  shale  was 
covered  with  drawings,  even  including  the  roofs  of  low  crevices 
where  the  artist  must  have  worked  lying  prone  on  his  back,  and 
with  his  nose  almost  touching  his  work.  Most  of  the  drawings 
were  executed  in  red  ochre,  and  had  their  outlines  accentuated 
by  rows  of  white  dots,  which  seemed  to  be  composed  of  a  sort 
of  pipe-clay.  Some,  however,  were  executed  in  pale  yellow  on 
a  brick-red  ground,  and  in  many  instances  the  objects  depicted 
were  banded  with  rows  of  white  dots  crossing  each  other  irre- 
gularly, and  perhaps  intended  in  a  rudimentary  way  to  convey 
the  idea  of  light  and  shade.  The  objects  delineated  (of  which 
I  made  such  sketches  as  I  was  able)  were  sharks,  dolphins, 
dugong,  turtle,  boomerangs,  waddies,  shields,  woomerahs,  pigs, 
dogs,  birds,  jelly-fish,  etc.  There  was  one  well-defined  sketch  of 
a  medusa,  showing  the  position  of  the  radiating  canals  and  eight 
marginal  tentacles.  Trochns  shells  in  great  profusion  were  strewn 
about  the  old  camping  places,  as  well  as  bones  of  the  dugong 
and  turtle,  the  pursuit  of  the  latter  having  been  probably  the 
main  inducement  to  visit  the  island. 

A  careful  hunting  of  the  holes  and  crevices  in  the  face  of  the 
clifi"  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  some  portable  specimens  of 
native  art  in  the  shape  of  drawings  on  old  pieces  of  driftwood, 
on  Melo  shells,  turtle  skulls,  and  tortoise  shell.  These  luckily 
afforded  us  good  examples  of  the  style  of  art,  and  were  accord- 
ingly, and  without  many  conscientious  scruples  as  to  the  sacred 
rights  of  ownership,  carried  off  in  triumph  and  deposited  on 
board. 

After  leaving  Flinders  Island,  we  continued  our  voyage  north- 
ward, anchoring  each  of  the  three  following  nights  successively 
at  Clairmont  Island  No.  6,  Clairmont  Island  No.  lo,  and  Bird 
Island.  On  each  occasion  we  dredged  to  a  small  extent,  and 
collected  specimens  from  the  reefs  and  beaches.  On  the  evening 
of  the  2nd  of  June  we  entered   the  narrow  strait  which  separates 


5     3 


Albany  Island.  193 

Albany  Island  from  the  mainland  of  north-east  Australia,  having 
the  small  settlement  of  Somerset  on  our  port  hand,  and 'on  our 
starboard  side  a  pearl-shell  station  known  as  Port  Albany.  The 
anchorage  at  Somerset  being  of  bad  repute  on  account  of  the 
strong  currents  which  sweep  through  it,  we  steamed  on  to  the 
northern  extremity  of  Albany  Island,  where  at  about  4  o'clock  in 
the  evening  we  dropped  our  anchor  in  six  fathoms.  A  party  of 
officers  landed  at  once  on  the  shore  of  the  mainland,  and  while 
some  wandered  tliTough  the  woods  in  search  of  birds,  the  boat 
was  employed  in  dredging  over  the  bottom  of  mud  and  sand  in 
depths  varying  from  three  to  five  fathoms.  Among  the  contents 
of  several  hauls  were  a  large  number  of  Comatulas,  a  few  Ophiurids, 
several  examples  of  a  Peiitaceros,  a  Goniocidaris,  a  spider-crab  ot 
the  genus  " Egeria"  an  Alphcus,  a  Galatlica  clinging  to  the 
feathered  arms  of  a  purple  Comatiila,  and  many  specimens  of  an 
Isopod  adhering  to  the  oral  surfaces  of  the  comatular  discs. 
There  were  also  a  few  shrimps,  two  species  of  Miinx,  and  a 
volute.  Some  small  fishes  were  also  brought  up — apparently  a 
species  of  Platycephabis. 

On  the  following  morning  some  of  the  boats  were  employed  in 
searching  for  an  uncharted  rock  which  was  reported  by  the 
pearl  fishermen  as  existing  somewhere  near  our  anchorage,  while 
Haswell  and  I  had  the  use  of  a  whaleboat  for  a  couple  of  hours' 
dredging.  V/e  worked  across  the  channel  towards  the  mainland 
in  eight  fathoms  over  a  bottom  of  mud  and  sand,  obtaining  a 
quantity  of  Comatulas  and  Gorgonias,  a  large  grotesque  Murex, 
several  small  Synaptcs,  and  a  large  flat  sponge. 


13 


CHAPTER   X. 

TORRES  STRAITS  ISLANDS. 

WE  remained  for  nearly  four  months  anchored  at  or  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Thursday  Island.  During  this  period 
our  boats  were  employed  in  making  a  survey  of  the  Princie  of  Wales 
Channel,  which  is  now  the  route  almost  invariably  used  by  steamers 
and  sailing  ships  in  passing  through  Torres  Straits.  There  is  a  small 
settlement  at  Thursday  Island  consisting  of  about  a  dozen  houses, 
wooden  built,  which  are  occupied  by  white  families  and  their 
coloured  domestics.  There  is  a  police  magistrate,  whose  jurisdic- 
tion, as  an  official  of  the  Queensland  government,  extends  over 
all  the  islands  in  Torres  Straits  ;  an  officer  of  customs,  through 
whose  hands  passes  all  the  trade  of  the  Straits  ;  a  staff  of  white 
policemen  to  enforce  the  Queensland  law  ;  a  prison  for  the  incar- 
ceration of  the  refractory  pearl  shellers  ;  a  store  for  the  supply  of 
tinned  provisions  and  all  the  miscellaneous  requirements  of  the 
pearl  shell  trade  ;  and,  finally,  there  are  two  public-houses  which 
do  a  flourishing  business  and  supply  ample  material  for  the  official 
ministration  of  the  police.  The  entire  population,  white  and 
coloured,  does  not  exceed  a  hundred. 

Thursday  Island  owes  its  importance  to  being  the  shipping  port 
for  the  produce  of  all  the  pearl  shell  fisheries  in  Torres  Straits.  It 
is  visited  monthly  by  steamers  of  the  "British  India"  and  "Eastern 
and  Australian  "  Steamship  Companies,  and  also  by  a  small  coast- 
ing steamer,  the  Corea,  belonging  to  an  Australian  firiT).  The 
latter  plies   regularly   and   constantly   between    Thursday   Island 


Torres  Straits  Islanders.  195 

and  Sydney,  and  does  most  of  the  business  in  connection  with  the 
fisheries,  conveying  the  shell  to  Sydney,  and  returning  with  a 
cargo  of  tinned  provisions,  slops,  and  other  stores  for  the  use  of 
the  pearl  shellcrs.  The  inhabitants  of  Thursday  Island,  and  those 
belonging  to  the  .various  pearl  shell  stations  scattered  through  the 
group  of  islands,  are  dependent  for  support  upon  extraneous 
supplies  of  provisions.  Cattle  will  not  thrive  on  the  islands,  owing 
to  the  poisonous  nature  of  the  grass,  and  as  yet  all  attempts  at 
growing  fruit  and  vegetables  have  in  most  cases  proved  un- 
successful. 

The  native  inhabitants  of  the  Torres  Straits  Islands  are  a  small 
tribe  of  Papuan  origin,  who  lead  a  wandering  life,  and  show  little 
inclination  to  hold  intercourse  with  either  white  or  coloured 
colonists.  They  have  the  frizzled  hair,  the  aquiline  hooked  nose, 
and  the  wide  curved  lips  of  the  Papuans  ;  and  among  their  imple- 
ments are  the  long  "  hour-glass  "  drum,  headed  with  lizard  skin, 
the  tortoise-shell  mask  worn  at  corroborics,  and  the  pearl  shell 
ornaments  dangling  from  the  neck  ;  but  their  intercourse  with  the 
North  Australian  aborigines  is  shown  by  their  having  acquired  the 
practice  of  using  the  "throwing  sticks"  for  their  spears.  Their 
food  being  almost  solely  of  marine  origin,  their  camps  are  only 
found  on  the  shores  of  the  islands.  At  certain  seasons  in  the 
year  they  catch  the  turtle  and  dugong,  and  apparently  in  great 
numbers,  if  one  can  judge  by  the  quantity  of  bones  of  these 
animals  seen  by  us  in  the  midden-heaps.  Fish  they  obtain  in 
abundance  by  means  of  the  hook  and  line,  and  the  shore  molluscs 
also  supply  them  with  food ;  so  that  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  we  generally  found  them  to  be  in  a  well-nourished  condition, 
and  not  at  all  anxious  to  barter  their  fish  for  such  a  commodity 
as  ship's  biscuit.  Their  boats  are  long  dug-out  canoes,  fitted  with 
double  outriggers,  and  very  I'udely  constructed.  Whether  under 
sail  or  paddle,  they  manoeuvred  very  badly,  and  were  on  the  whole 
very  poor  specimens  of  naval  architecture,  even  for  a  tribe  of 
savages. 


196  Cruise  of  the  ''Alcrir 

In  1879  the  population  of  the  shelling  stations  amounted  to 
720,  while  that  of  the  settlement  at  Thursday  Island  was  only 
80.  In  1880  the  shelling  population  amounted  to  815,  show- 
ing an  increase  of  nearly  a  hundred  on  that  of  the  previous  year. 
As  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  any  change  that  has  taken  place 
during  the  last  two  years  has  been  indicative  of  the  increasing 
prosperity  of  the  pearl  shell  industry.  Indeed  I  was  informed  by 
a  resident  gentleman  connected  with  the  fisheries,  that  the  share- 
holders in  one  of  the  stations  had  that  year  received  a  dividend 
of  seventy  per  cent,  on  the  capital  invested.  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  several  of  the  managers  (or  "bosses"  as  they  are  commonly 
called)  of  the  pearl  shell  establishments,  and  through  their  civility 
had  opportunities  of  visiting  many  stations  within  a  range  of 
twenty-five  miles  from  our  anchorage  at  Thursday  Island.  They 
are  all  constructed  more  or  less  on  the  same  general  model; 
consisting  usually  of  one  whitewashed  house, — the  residence  of  the 
white  manager, — a  store-house,  and  a  couple  of  sheds  for  the 
stowage  of  boat  appliances  and  pearl  shell,  and  a  few  large  grass 
built  huts  in  which  the  labourers  employed  at  the  depot  are 
housed.  These  men,  who  are  spoken  of  under  the  comprehensive 
term  of  "Kanakas,"  are  for  the  most  part  Malays:  the  remainder 
being  a  motley  collection  of  Manila  men,  Fijians,  natives  of  New 
Hebrides,  and  brown-skinned  Polynesians  from  various  Pacific 
Islands.  There  is  usually  but  one  white  man  to  each  station, 
viz.,  the  manager.  The  shelling  boats — called  "apparatus  boats" 
— are  entirely  under  the  control  of  Kanakas.  They  are  each  of 
between  five  and  eight  tons  burden,  are  rigged  with  standing  lug- 
sails,  afid  are  provided  with  the  most  approved  air  pump  diving 
apparatus.  The  crew  of  one  of  these  boats  usually  consists  of  five 
men.  one  of  whom  is  the  diver  ;  another  steers,  and  the  remaining 
three  look  after  the  air  pump  and  signal  rope.  The  time  selected 
for  diving  operations  is  usually  when  there  is  a  "  weather  tide  "  ; 
the  vessel  is  then  hove-to  under  easy  canvas,  so  that  she  may  drift 
slowly  to  windward,  while   the  diver,  following  her  movements, 


^'Apparatus"  Boats — Swiimninf[  Divers.  k^"] 

gropes  about  the  bottom  in  search  of  pearl  shell.  The  work  is 
carried  on  at  depths  varying  between  five  and  sixteen  fathoms, 
and  in  order  to  provide  against  accidents  from  inequalities  in  the 
bottom,  as  well  as  to  allow  the  diver  greater  freedom  in  his  move- 
ments, the  length  of  the  pipes  connecting  his  dress  with  the  air 
pump  is  usually  twice  the  mean  depth  of  the  water  in  which  he  is 
working.  The  signal  rope  is  of  a  similar  length,  so  that  it  may 
be  used  for  hauling  up  the  shell-bag  which  the  diver  fills  from 
time  to  time,  without  his  having  to  release  the  end  attached  to  his 
body,  or  to  make  use  of  a  second  line.  The  bag  is  therefore 
attached  about  the  middle  of  the  line. 

When  diving  apparatus  was  first  used  in  Torres  Straits,  white 
divers  were  exclusively  employed,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
Kanakas  continued  to  work  as  "  swimming  divers  "  in  the  tedious 
old-fashioned  way.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  Kanakas  were  tried 
in  the  diving  dresses,  it  was  found  that  they  were  far  superior  to 
any  professional  white  divers,  for  not  only  could  they  remain 
much  longer  under  water,  but  they  were  also  able  to  move  about 
on  the  bottom  more  independently,  and  to  dispense  altogether 
with  the  weighted  rope  ladder  which  the  white  divers  used  to  look 
upon  as  essential.  Since  the  introduction  of  boats  fitted  with 
diving  apparatus,  the  pearl  shell  trade  of  Torres  Straits  has 
become  highly  remunerative,  and  the  export  of  shells  has  increased 
enormously. 

The  shells  obtained  are  classified  into  two  qualities :  firstly, 
young  shells,  known  to  the  trade  as  "  chicken  shell,"  which  are 
the  most  valuable,  and  average  about  2,000  to  the  ton  ;  and 
secondly,  adult  shells,  about  700  of  which  weigh  one  ton.  It  is 
calculated  that  the  annual  take  of  a  single  boat  is  about  seven 
tons,  of  which  five  tons  cover  the  outlay,  and  two  tons  may  be 
reckoned  as  clear  profit.  The  value  per  ton  has  a  wide  range, 
varying  according  to  the  state  of  the  home  market,  and  may  be 
estimated  at  from /^  100  to /^ 3 00.  The  number  of  boats  employed 
last  year  was    100.      In   the  year    187S,  shells  to  the  weight  of 


igS  Cruise  of  the  ''Alertr 

449  tons,  and  valued  at  ;^5  3,021,  were  exported  ;  and  during  the 
same  year  pearls  to  the  value  of  £210.  Most  of  the  pearls  taken 
are  of  poor  quality,  and  are  so  few  as  to  be  comparatively  value- 
less ;  although  a  fairly  good  one,  without  a  flaw,  and  about  the 
size  of  a  pea,  is  said  to  be  worth  £><).  Coarse  ones  of  extra- 
ordinary size  are  sometimes  obtained.  A  proprietor  and  manager 
(Captain  Tucker),  who  was  considered  exceptionally  fortunate  in 
obtaining  pearls,  once  showed  me  the  proceeds  of  nine  tons  of 
shell  which  he  had  just  brought  in  from  the  fishing-ground.  The 
pearls  were  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  ;  one  was  as  big  as  a  large  hazel 
nut,  others  were  like  millet  seeds.  Altogether  they  were  just 
sufficient  to  fill  a  common  match-box,  in  which  indeed  he  carried 
them.  OfTicial  statistics  regarding  the  take  of  pearls  are  only  to 
a  small  extent  reliable,  as  many — probably  most — never  reach 
the  hands  of  the  proprietors,  but  are  retained  as  perquisites  by 
the  Kanaka  divers,  who  dispose  of  them  secretly. 

Most  of  the  shell  is  sent  to  Sydney  by  the  steamship  Corea, 
where  it  is  purchased  by  merchants,  who  send  it  to  Europe  for 
manufacture.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  Queensland  Royal 
Mail  steamers,  which  traverse  Torres  Straits,  some  of  the  shell  has 
been  by  them  conveyed  direct  to  England,  where  it  is  consigned 
to  the  manufacturers,  to  the  greater  profit  of  the  pearl  shellers. 
Most  of  the  shelling  establishments  in  Torres  Straits  are  the 
property  of  companies  consisting  of  two  or  more  capitalists,  who 
for  the  most  part  reside  in  Sydney,  and  it  is  indeed  a  rather  odd 
anomaly  that  a  lucrative  industry  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Queensland  government  should  be  worked  by  capital  from 
New  South  Wales. 

Much  of  my  time  was  occupied  in  giving  medical  aid  to  the 
people  of  Thursday  Island,  and  to  the  employ^  of  the  pearl-shell 
stations.  My  spare  time,  as  opportunities  offered,  I  spent  in 
exploring  the  group  of  islands  within  reach,  viz.,  Horn  Island, 
Prince  of  Wales  Island,  Hammond  Island,  Fitzroy  Island,  Goode 
Island,  Thursday    Island,   Possession    Island,   West    Island,    and 


A^alural  Features  of  the  Islands — Animal  Life.       1 99 

Booby  Island.  In  geological  formation  they  are  all  much  alike, 
a  quartzite  or  quartz  porphyry  being  the  prevailing  form  of  rock. 
The  land  is  covered  with  rank  grass,  and  is  for  the  most  part 
lightly  timbered  with  gum-trees.  On  the  latter  a  parasitic  plant, 
resembling  mistletoe,  is  commonly  met  with.  Water  is  scarce, 
and  during  a  great  part  of  the  year  some  of  the  islands  are 
practically  without  any.  In  searching  for  water-holes  or  for  damp 
spots,  where  water  has  at  some  period  of  the  year  been  present, 
Pandamcs  trees  are  in  many  instances  considered  to  be  a  safe 
guide.  The  rule,  however,  seems  to  be  that  where  moisture 
habitually  collects,  Paiidanus  trees  will  be  found  growing,  and 
not  the  converse.  Attached  to  rocky  surfaces,  and  to  the  bark 
of  trees  in  shady  places,  the  eye  is  frequently  arrested  by  the 
sight  of  most  beautiful  orchids,  principally  of  the  genus  Dendrobium. 
These  orchids  are  objects  of  much  concern  to  the  more  enterprising 
colonists,  as  there  is  an  oft-repcatcd  story  that  some  years  ago  a 
white-flowered  Dendrobiuin  was  found  on  Goode  Island,  and  on 
being  sent  to  England  was  sold  for  .1^200.  Consequently  everyone 
collecting  orchids  is  supposed  to  be  in  quest  of  the  famous  white 
species. 

Lizards  are  abundant,  especially  a  large  Monitor,  which,  when 
disturbed,  astonishes  one  by  the  noise  which  it  makes  in  scampering 
over  the  stones  and  dead  twigs  to  its  burrow,  or  if  this  be  not  at 
hand,  to  seek  the  protection  of  some  friendly  tree,  up  which  it 
climbs  with  extraordinary  facility.  They  are  easily  shot.  When 
first  I  saw  their  burrows,  I  considered  them  to  be  the  work  of 
some  burrowing  marsupial,  and  accordingly  set  a  cage-trap  opposite 
the  entrance  of  one.  On  returning  next  day,  I  found,  to  my 
surprise,  a  large  Monitor  coiled  up  inside  the  trap,  whose 
dimensions  were  so  small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
reptile,  that  the  wonder  was  how  he  ever  managed  to  stow 
himself  inside.  We  encountered  few  snakes,  and  from  inquiries 
were  led  to  believe  that  few,  if  any,  poisonous  ones  existed. 
However,   they  are    said   not   to  show  themselves    much   during 


200  Cruise  0/  the  "Alert." 

the  dry  season,  which  among  these  islands  is  supposed  to  be 
their  time  for  hybernating. 

One  day,  when  exploring  in  company  with  Haswell,  we  found 
portions  of  the  carapace  and  pincer-claw  of  a  land-crab  (most 
likely  a  species  of  Gcogra/>stis),  an  animal  not  previously  recorded 
from  the  islands.  On  examining  the  beds  of  dry  mountain  gullies, 
and  digging  into  sand-choked  crevices  between  spurs  of  rock, 
where  a  certain  amount  of  moisture  existed,  I  subsequently  obtained 
several  live  specimens.  No  doubt,  during  the  wet  season  they 
might  be  more  easily  obtained. 

Thursday  Island  possesses  six  species  of  land  shells.  They  are 
Helix  Krcffti,  H.  Dclcssertiana,  H.  Spaldingi,  H.  Biixtoni,  Bui  tutus 
Beddonui,  and  Helicitia  reticulata.  During  our  stay  the  island  was 
fired,  in  order  to  remove  the  "  spear-grass,"  which  is  so  destructive 
to  cattle.  The  fire  spread  over  the  whole  island,  and  continued 
to  rage  for  several  days,  consuming  not  only  all  the  grass,  but 
also  a  great  quantity  of  scrub,  and  laying  bare  a  vast  extent  of 
arid  stony  surface.  It  was  now  an  easy  matter  to  collect  land- 
shells,  for  they  lay  dead  in  prodigious  numbers  on  the  bare 
summits  of  the  hills  as  well  as  in  the  hollows,  gullies,  and  other 
more  likely  places. 

This  fire  was  a  great  blow  to  my  hopes  of  collecting  plants, 
almost  all  the  herbaceous  ones  and  many  of  the  creepers  having 
been  consumed  or  shrivelled  up  by  the  heat  of  the  conflagration. 
After  much  trouble  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  five  species  of  ferns, 
which  I  fancy  is  not  far  short  of  the  entire  number.  Among 
these  were  the  Nephrolepis  acuta,  Ptiloea  nitida,  Polypodiuin  querci- 
folium,.  Lindsaya  ensi/olia,  and  the  common  Australian  form, 
Lygodium  scandcns. 

The  avifauna  of  the  different  islands  is,  as  might  be  expected, 
of  a  similar  character  to,  and  differs  very  little,  if  at  all,  from  that 
of  the  adjoining  part  of  the  mainland  of  Australia.  The  list  of 
birds  includes  species  of  the  genera  Cautpcphaga,  Ptilotis,  Pachy- 
t'-pltala,   Myzomela,   Nectarinia,  Di cecum,   Tric/toglossus,  Artamtis, 


Bouby  Island — Port  Danuin.  201 

Miineia,  Halcyon,  Nycticorax,  Pudolophus,  Chalcophaps,  Eryihrau- 
cliena,  Geopelia,  Ptilinopus,  Myiagra,  Sauloprocta,  Sphccotheres, 
Cliibia,  CentropHs,  Graiicalus,  Grallina,  Donacola,  Tropidorhyncus, 
CUmacteris,  Megapodius,  (Edicnemus,  Algialitis,  Merops,  Dacelo, 
Bruckigavia,  Sterna,  Pelicanus,  Hcematopus,  and  others.  At  Booby- 
Island,  a  small  rocky  islet  in  midchannel,  affording  no  cover 
beyond  a  few  bushes  growing  in  a  cleft  in  the  rocks,  we  found  no 
less  than  twelve  species  of  land  birds.  These  were  the  Ptilinopus 
superbus,  P.  Swainsoni,  Jilyiagra  plumbea,  Nectarinia  Australis, 
Megapodius  tumulus,  Porpliyrio  mclanotus.  Halcyon  sanctus,  Nycli- 
corax  calcdonicus,  a  Zosterops,  a  yellow-breasted  flycatcher,  a  land- 
rail, and  a  quail.  From  the  discrepancies  between  the  different 
records  of  the  birds  found  on  this  island,  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  it  is  mainly  used  as  a  temporary  resting-place  for  birds  of 
passage.  The  "  mound  bird  "  {Megapodius  tumulus)  is  probably, 
however,  a  regular  inhabitant. 

In  examining  the  cliffs  of  this  island,  in  quest  of  sea-birds'  nests, 
I  noticed,  considerably  above  the  reach  of  the  highest  tide,  some 
smooth  basin-shaped  cavities  in  the  rock  containing  rounded 
waterworn  stones,  such  as  one  sees  in  the  rock  pools  between  tide 
marks.  This  circumstance  would  point  to  an  upheaval  of  the 
island  during  recent  geological  times. 

We  sailed  from  Torres  Straits  on  October  ist,  and  proceeded 
under  steam  towards  Port  Darwin,  in  North-West  Australia, 
sounding  and  dredging  on  our  way,  and  eventually  coming  to  an 
anchor  in  Port  Darwin  on  October  20th.  The  settlement  of 
Palmerston,  off  which  we  lay,  is  the  seat  of  government  for  the 
northern  territory  of  the  colony  of  South  Australia,  whose  capital, 
Adelaide,  is  about  1,800  miles  away  on  the  south  coast,  and  is 
separated  from  Port  Darwin  by  an  enormous  patch  of  uncivilfzed 
country  extending  for  about  1,500  miles  in  a  north  and  south 
direction. 

The  foundation  of  a  settlement  at  Port  Darwin,  which  took 
place  about   ten  years  ago   (1872),  was   practically  due   to    the 


202  Cruise  of  the  *' Alert." 

completion  of  the  submarine  cable  and  land  telegraph  lines,  which 
have  each  got  terminal  stations  at  Port  Darwin,  where  the 
"through"  messages  are  transferred.  Its  subsequent  progress, 
such  as  it  has  been,  was  encouraged  and  fostered  by  the  trade 
in  provisions  and  gold  induced  by  the  workers  at  the  northern 
territory  gold-fields.  There  are  now  two  submarine  cables  con- 
necting Port  Darwin  with  Singapore,  vid  Java,  and  thence  with 
Europe.  The  first  was  laid  in  1S72,  and  was  found  most  difficult 
to  maintain  on  account  of  the  ravages  made  in  it  by  a  boring 
mollusc,  a  species  of  Teredo,  which  in  an  amazingly  short  space  of 
time  pierced  the  galvanized  iron-wire  sheathing  of  the  cable,  and 
destroyed  the  insulation  of  the  copper  core.  The  repairs  of  this 
cable  necessitated  an  outlay  of  ;£^20,000  per  annum,  a  circumstance 
contrasting  strangely  with  the  condition  of  a  similar  cable  in  the 
China  and  India  seas,  which  is  not  attacked  by  the  Teredo. 
Recently  a  duplicate  cable  has  been  laid,  in  the  construction  of 
which  a  tape  of  muntz  metal  was  wound  round  in  a  spiral  fashion 
between  the  insulating  material  and  the  twisted  wire  sheathing. 
By  this  provision  the  new  cable  has  been  rendered  proof  against 
the  boring  effects  of  the  Teredo,  and  has  hitherto  worked  success- 
fully without  the  slightest  hitch. 

The  land  telegraph  line  stretches  directly  from  Port  Darwin  to 
Adelaide,  a  distance  of  about  i.Soo  miles,  and  thus  serves  to 
connect  all  the  principal  towns  of  Australia  with  the  station  of 
the  Cable  Company  at  Port  Darwin.  It  was  at  one  time 
thought  that  there  would  have  been  much  difficulty  in  inducing 
the  aborigines  to  abstain  from  meddling  with  the  overland  wire, 
but  experience  has  not  justified  this  impression.  It  appears  that 
the  black  fellows  hold  it  sacred,  looking  on  it  as  a  sort  of  boundary 
mark  to  separate  the  white  man's  territory  from  theirs. 

Palmerston  contains  a  police  magistrate,  who  is  the  chief 
executive  authority  in  the  northern  territory;  a  lands  department, 
with  its  staff  of  surveyors  ;  a  police  inspector,  with  a  detachment 
of   white    troopers ;    a   government   doctor ;    the    two    telegraph 


Gold-]\lining.  203 

stations,  with  their  separate  staffs  of  telegraphists  ;   and,  of  neces- 
sity, a  jail. 

Our  acquaintances  on  shore  spoke  in  sanguine  terms  of  the 
prospects  of  the  settlement,  and  the  future  greatness  which  is  in 
store  for  the  northern  territory ;  but  to  us  strangers  the  appsar- 
ance  of  Port  Darwin  and  the  surrounding  country  was  by  no 
means  indicative  of  progress,  or  suggestive  of  a  superabundance 
of  the  elements  of  greatness.  Indeed,  although  the  settlement 
has  been  in  existence  since  1872,  yet  the  white  population  of  the 
whole  northern  territory  does  not  exceed  two  hundred  ;  and  if  it 
were  not  for  the  Chinamen,  who  have  been  attracted  thither  by 
the  "  gold-rush,"  and  whose  numbers — including  those  at  Port 
Darwin,  Southport,  and  the  gold-fields — amount  to  6,000,  there 
would  be  almost  no  manual  labour  available  for  the  white  colonists. 

The  auriferous  quartz  reefs,  which  here  constitute  what  are 
called  the  "gold-fields,"  are  situated  on  the  side  of  a  range  of 
hills  beginning  at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles  from 
Port  Darwin,  in  a  southerly  direction.  The  usual  route  thither 
is  by  steamboat  for  twenty-five  miles  to  Southport,  a  small 
settlement  at  the  southern  extremity  of  one  of  the  arms  of  the 
inlet,  and  thence  by  cart  track  for  eighty  miles.  Unfortunately, 
during  the  wet  season  this  track  is  almost  impassable.  The  gold  is 
obtained  from  the  ore  by  crushing  and  amalgamating  with  mercury 
in  the  usual  way.  In  this  country  the  crushing  or  stamping 
machines  are  known  as  "  batteries,"  and  I  believe  in  the  northern 
territory  they  are  worked  entirely  by  steam  power.  The  average 
yield  of  gold  from  the  reefs  ranges  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  one 
and  a  half  ounces  per  ton  of  crushed  material,  although  rock  has 
been  met  with  containing  no  less  than  twenty  ounces  per  ton. 
The  latter,  however,  is  altogether  exceptional.  There  are  in  the 
same  localities  alluvial  diggings  worked  in  a  small  way  by  China- 
men, but  the  yield  of  gold  is  insignificant  compared  with  that 
from  the  reefs.  I  find  it  stated  in  the  returns  furnished  by  the 
customs  officer  at  Port  Darwin  that  during  the  year  ending  31st 


204  Cruise  of  the  ''Aicrty 

of  March,  iSSi.tlic  northern  territory  exported  lO.io/J  ounces, 
valued  at  £t,6,22J. 

I  was  told  that  at  the  time  of  our  visit  there  were  only  two 
genuine  squatters  in  the  whole  northern  territory.  From  their 
stations  is  drawn  the  beef  supply  for  the  people  living  at  Port 
Darwin,  Southport,  and  the  gold-fields,  and  it  would  seem  that 
the  supply  was  quite  equal  to  the  demand.  Most  of  the  land  in 
the  territory  is  now  held  on  lease  by  speculators,  who  pay  to  the 
South  Australian  Government  an  annual  rental  of  si.xpence  per 
square  mile,  which  gives  them,  under  certain  conditions,  a  right 
of  pre-emption,  and  these  speculators  now  hold  on  to  the  land 
with  a  view  to  ultimately  disposing  of  their  interest  to  bond  fide 
settlers  at  a  large  profit  to  themselves.  But  until  the  Colonial 
Government  takes  the  initiative  in  affording  facilities  for  the 
conveyance  of  produce  from  the  interior  to  Port  Darwin,  there 
seems  little  likelihood  of  the  land  being  taken  up  for  cither  agri- 
cultural or  pastoral  purposes. 

The  aboriginal  inhabitants  are  numerous  in  this  part  of 
Australia.  Those  in  the  vicinity  of  Port  Darwin  are  of  the 
tribe  of  "  Larikias."  In  company  with  Dr.  Morice,  the  govern- 
ment medical  officer,  I  visited  two  native  encampments,  which 
were  situated  a  few  hundred  yards  apart,  and  at  a  distance  of 
about  half-a-mile  from  the  settlement.  One  of  the  camps  was 
on  an  elevated  plateau,  covered  with  thin  grass  and  a  sprinkling 
of  scraggy  bushes,  while  the  other  was  at  the  foot  of  a  high  cliff, 
and  immediately  adjoining  the  beach.  We  found  in  camp  a  large 
number  of  men,  women,  and  children,  most  of  whom  were  lolling 
about  on  the  ground,  smoking  short  wooden  pipes,  polishing  their 
skins  with  red  ochre,  and  producing  a  rude  burlesque  of  music 
out  of  pieces  of  hollow  reed  about  four  feet  long,  which  they  blew 
like  cowhorns.  The  stature  of  the  men  was  much  superior  to 
that  of  the  natives  we  had  seen  previously  on  the  east  coast ;  but 
although  strong  and  active,  they  presented  a  slim  lanky  appear- 
ance, especially  as  regards  their  lower  extremities.     Their  features 


Aborigines  of  North-lVest  Australia.    ■  205 

were  regular,  and  for  the  most  part  pleasing  ;  the  hair  was  long, 
black,  and  wavy,  sometimes  hanging  in  ringlets  ;  the  nose  was 
aquiline,  with  broad  alcE  nasi,  and  having  the  septum  perforated 
for  the  reception  of  a  white  stick  like  a  pipe-stem  ;  the  upper 
lip,  cheek,  and  chin  were  furnished  with  a  moderate  growth  of 
hair  ;  the  teeth  were  regular — no  incisors  removed  ;  trunk  and 
extremities  almost  devoid  of  hair  ;  the  skin  of  the  arms,  chest, 
and  abdomen  was  decorated  with  cicatrices  which  stood  out  from 
the  skin  in  bold  relief,  having  the  form  and  consistency  of  cords. 
On  the  arms  these  scars  were  disposed  in  parallel  vertical  lines, 
while  on  the  chest  and  abdomen  they  were  in  horizontal  curves. 
Dr.  Morice  informed  me  that  these  ghastly  decorations  were 
produced  in  some  way  unknown  by  means  of  a  sharp  cutting 
instrument,  and  that  no  foreign  substance  is  introduced  into  the 
wound.  He  had  been  unsuccessful  in  all  his  efforts  to  ascertain 
how  the  peculiar  raised  and  indurated  character  of  the  sore  is 
produced.  The  women  had  fewer  scar  decorations  than  the  men, 
but  had  the  same  nasal  perforation,  in  which  they  also  wore  sticks. 
All  seemed  cheerful,  happy,  and  contented  with  their  lot.  Their 
huts  were  of  the  usual  unsubstantial  character,  but  were,  however, 
an  improvement  on  the  "  shelter-screens  "  of  the  eastern  aborigines. 
They  were  constructed  of  boughs  of  trees  supplemented  with 
stray  bits  of  iron  sheeting,  and  other  scraps  of  wood  and  iron 
gleaned  from  'the  settlement,  and  they  were  provided  with  an 
arched  roof,  so  that  the  whole  structure  was  of  the  shape  of  a 
half  cylinder  lying  on  its  side.  Many,  however,  were  little  more 
than  "  shelter  screens,"  to  protect  them  from  the  prevailing  winds. 
Their  weapons  consisted  of  spears  and  clubs.  The  spears  were 
of  different  shapes  and  sizes,  some  being  provided  with  two  or 
three  long  slender  tapering  points  of  hard  wood,  deeply  serrated 
along  one  side,  while  others  were  tipped  with  rudely  chipped 
pieces  of  sandstone.  The  former  is  used  for  spearing  fish,  the 
latter  for  fighting  purposes.  The  "  woomerahs,"  or  throwing 
sticks,  which  they  always  use  in  propelling  their  spears,  arc  of 


ro6  Crttise  0/  the  "Aiert." 

two  kinds.  The  most  common  is  about  four  feet  in  length,  flat 
and  lathlike,  and  is  peculiar  in  having  the  angular  hook,  which 
engages  the  butt  of  the  spear,  projecting  in  a  plane  at  right 
angles  to  the  flat  surface  of  the  stick.  The  other  is  a  light 
cylindrical  stick  tapering  from  the  handle  end,  and  its  hook 
consists  of  a  conical-shaped  piece  of  wood,  which  is  secured  at 
an  oblique  angle  to  the  distal  end  by  means  of  gum  and  fibre 
lashings.  The  clubs  are  about  four  feet  long,  are  made  of  a  hard 
heavy  wood  of  a  red  colour,  and  are  fashioned  with  double 
trenchant  edges  towards  the  striking  end,  so  that  a  moderate 
blow  from  one  of  these  formidable  weapons  would  effectually 
cleave  open  any  ordinary  skull.  The  boomerang  is  not  used  in 
this  part  of  Australia. 

Small-pox  has  made  sad  ravages  among  this  tribe  of  natives,  and 
accounts  for  the  large  proportion  whom  we  found  to  be  wholly  or 
partially  blind. 

The  season  of  the  north-east  monsoon  had  just  come  to  a 
close,  and  with  it  the  drought  and  intermittent  fever  which  render 
Port  Darwin  an  undesirable  residence  for  six  months  of  the  year. 
Calms  usually  prevail  during  the  month  of  November,  and  in 
December  the  N.W.  monsoon  is  ushered  in  by  copious  showers  of 
rain,  an  event  looked  forward  to  with  much  satisfaction  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Port  Danvin.  The  annual  rainfall  during  the  last 
half-a-dozen  years  has  ranged  from  fifty-six  to  seventy-seven  inches, 
nearly  all  of  which  is  precipitated  during  the  months  of  December, 
Januar)',  February,  March,  and  April.  Strange  to  say,  during  the 
rainy  season  the  settlement  is  healthy  and  entirely  free  from  . 
malarial  fever.  But  shortly  before  our  arrival  there  had  been  an 
epidemic  of  beriberi — a  disease  not  indigenous  to  Australia — which 
had  probably  been  introduced  by  the  Chinese  immigrants. 

I  devoted  one  forenoon  during  low  water  springtides  to  an 
inspection  of  the  beach  between  tide  marks,  but  excepting  a  few 
sponges  obtained  nothing  of  particular  interest.  The  beaches  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  anchorage  were  smothered  with  a 


Marine  Zoology — Birds  of  Port  Darwin.  207 

thick  coating  of  slimy  mud,  and  were  consequently  not  favourable 
to  marine  life.  With  the  dredge  I  was  more  successful.  About 
the  centre  of  the  harbour,  in  eleven  fathoms,  the  bottom  is  ot 
sand,  and  here  the  fauna  is  abundant.  Of  Polyzoa  I  obtained 
representatives  of  several  genera,  including  Retepora,  Eschara, 
Crista,  Idnionea,  Cellepora,  and  Lcpralia  ;  among  Crustaceans  the 
genera  Myra,  Phlyxia,  Hiasteinis,  and  Lambris  afforded  many 
specimens.  Many  sllicious  Sponges  were  also  found ;  among 
Shells,  Miircx  and  Rane'.'.a  were  the  principal  genera  observed  ; 
and  in  hauling  the  dredge  over  some  muddy  ground  I  got  a 
Virgularia  about  eight  inches  long. 

The  commonest  bird  about  the  settlement  was  a  brown  kite 
{Haliastur  sp. .'),  which  hovered  about  the  refuse  heaps  on  the  look- 
out for  garbage,  or,  perched  on  the  leafless  branch  of  some  dying 
tree,  remained  huddled  up  in  a  lazy  and  unconcerned  attitude,  taking 
no  more  notice  of  passers-by  than  do  the  hideous  Turkey-buzzards 
which  act  as  scavengers  in  the  towns  of  Central  America.  Our 
ship  was  all  day  long  surrounded  by  a  flock  of  these  kites,  who 
occupied  themselves  in  picking  up  with  their  talons  the  morsels  of 
food  which  from  time  to  time  were,  amid  other  refuse,  cast  over- 
board. The  thinly-wooded  hollows  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  settlement  were  thronged  with  numbers  of  a  black  and  white 
Grallina  (Grallina  picata)  of  about  the  size  of  a  magpie,  which,  on 
being  disturbed,  rose  from  the  ground  in  flocks  to  perch  on  the 
lower  branches  of  the  gum  trees,  and  in  company  with  them  I 
saw  many  examples  of  the  Drongo  {Chibia  bracteata).  Amidst 
the  foliage  of  the  low  bushes,  a  large  black  Shrike  was  frequently 
seen,  also  a  Zosterops,  a  fly-catcher  {JPiesorhynchus  nitidus),  and 
examples  of  a  small  finch-like  bird  {Donacola  castancothorax). 
The  latter  were  congregated  in  dense  flocks,  which  shifted 
frequently  from  tree  to  tree,  making  a  loud  whirring  noise  with 
the  rapid  vibrations  of  so  many  tiny  wings.  When  walking  through 
the  short  grass,  numbers  of  small  ground  doves  [Geopelia  placidd) 
would  start  up  from  almost   under  one's  feet,  and  alight  again  on 


2o8  Cruise  of  the  ''Aicrt." 

the  nearest  tree,  allowing  one  to  approacli  them  within  a  few 
yards.  Along  the  inner  or  landward  edge  of  the  mangrove  fringe 
r  saw  perched  on  the  summits  of  the  trees  a  large  oriole  {Mime to), 
of  which  I  obtained  two  female  specimens  in  full  plumage ;  and 
among  some  low  prickly  bushes  which  grew  over  the  shell  heaps 
of  the  inner  beach,  I  had  a  long,  and  finally  successful,  chase  of  a 
goat-sucker,  which  had  been  dodging  about  under  the  bushes, 
without  rising  on  the  wing.  Large  flocks  of  the  New  Holland 
paroquet  {Tric/wg!ossus  Novce  Hollandia)  flew  about  the  top- 
most branches  of  the  large  gum  trees,  screaming  shrilly.  I  also 
saw  and  obtained  a  specimen  of  5.  ruhitorquis,  just  now  a  scarce 
bird,  but  at  other  times  of  the  year  said  to  be  tolerably  abundant. 
One  day  I  joined  a  party  on  a  shooting  excursion  to  a  fresh  water 
lagoon  about  twelve  miles  from  the  settlement.  We  were  driven 
to  the  ground  by  Mr.  Gott,  the  superintendent  of  the  British  and 
Australian  telegraph  station,  who  not  only  afforded  us  a  pleasant 
day's  shooting,  but  on  this  and  other  occasions  evinced  the  greatest 
kindness  and  hospitality.  A  large  black  and  white  goose  {Atiser- 
anas  nielanoleuca)  was  met  with  in  immense  flocks  in  the  lagoon  ; 
and  when  started  from  their  feeding  ground,  these  birds,  to  our 
surprise,  betook  themselves  to  the  neighbouring  gum  trees,  where 
they  perched  with  an  apparent  ease  which  was  astonishing  in  such 
great  and  unwieldy  creatures.  Although  thus  so  easily  circum- 
stanced for  pot-shots,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  bring  them  down, 
as  they  required  very  hard  shooting  to  make  any  impression  on 
them  ;  so  that,  notwithstanding  a  liberal  expenditure  of  ammuni- 
tion, our  united  efforts  did  not  produce  at  all  so  large  a  bag  as  we 
had  at  first  anticipated.  The  country  through  which  we  drove  on 
our  way  to  and  from  the  lagoon  was  of  an  extremely  uninteresting 
nature,  being  flat  and  arid,  and  thinly  wooded  with  stunted  gums. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

SEYCHELLE   AND   AMIRANTE   ISLANDS. 

OUR  voyage  from  Port  Darwin  to  Singapore  took  place 
during  the  interval  of  calms  which  separates  the  north- 
west and  the  south-east  monsoons,  so  that  we  were  enabled 
to  steam  the  entire  distance  of  2,000  miles  in  smooth  water. 
Our  course  lay  among  the  islands  of  the  Eastern  Archipelago. 
On  the  5th  of  November  we  sighted  Timor  Island,  and  on 
the  following  morning  passed  to  the  northward  of  its  eastern 
extremity,  and  then  steered  westward,  having  Timor  on  our 
port  hand,  and  the  small  island  of  Wetter  to  starboard.  From 
that  date,  the  chain  of  islands  which  extends  in  a  north-west 
direction  from  Timor  right  up  to  the  Malay  Peninsula  was 
continually  in  sight.  After  dusk  on  the  7th,  we  saw  away  on 
our  port  beam,  and  towering  up  into  the  blue  and  starlit  sk)-,  the 
conical  mountain  which  forms  the  island  of  Komba.  On  the  1  oth, 
as  we  passed  to  the  northward  of  Sumbawa,  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
Tambora,  a  great  volcanic  pile  9,040  feet  in  height.  On  the  same 
day  a  handsome  bird  of  the  Gallinula  tribe  flew  on  board,  and 
came  into  my  possession.  On  the  following  day  a  large  swift  of 
the  genus  Chcctitra  shared  the  same  fate.  On  the  morning  of  the 
1 2th  we  passed  through  the  strait  which  separates  the  islands  of 
Sapodie  and  Madura,  and  as  we  emerged  from  its  northern  outlet 
found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  large  fleet  of  Malay  fishing  boats, 
of  which  no  less  than  seventy  were  in  sight  at  one  time.  These 
boats  were  long   narrow   crafts,  fitted   with   double  outriggers,  and 

14 


2IO  Cruise  0/  the  '^Akri.'^ 

liaving  lofty  curved  bows  and  sterns.  They  carried  a  huge 
triangular  sail,  which,  when  going  before  the  wind,  is  set  right 
athwart-ships  with  the  apex  downwards,  and  when  beating  seemed 
to  be  used  like  a  reversible  Fiji  sail.  On  November  1 7th  we 
passed  through  the  long  strait  which  lays  between  the  islands  of 
Banka  and  Sumatra,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day 
dropped  our  anchor  in  the  roadstead  of  Singapore. 

We  made  a  stay  of  two  and  a  half  months  at  the  great  com- 
mercial city  of  Singapore,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  our 
.ship  lay  at  the  Tanjon  Paggar  dockyard,  where  she  underwent  a 
thorough  overhaul,  while  officers  and  men  had  abundant  oppor- 
tunities for  relaxation  and  amusements. 

On  Februar}-  5th,  1882,  we  again  got  under  way,  and  quitting 
the  eastern  Archipelago  by  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  steered  for 
Ceylon.  On  the  loth  of  February,  in  latitude  6°  15'  N.,  longi- 
tude 93°  30'  E.,  we  passed  through  several  remarkable  patches  of 
broken  water,  resembling  "  tidcrips."  There  was  a  light  northerly 
breeze,  and  the  general  surface  of  the  sea  was  smooth,  so  that 
these  curious  patches  could  be  distinctly  seen  when  a  couple  of 
miles  ahead  of  us,  and  as  we  entered  each  one  the  noise  of  tumbling 
foaming  waters  was  so  loud  as  to  attract  one's  attention  forcibly, 
even  when  sitting  down  below  in  the  ward-room.  The  patches 
were  for  the  most  part  disposed  in  curves  and  more  or  less  com- 
plete circles  of  half-a-milc  in  diameter,  so  that  at  a  distance  they 
bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  lines  of  breakers.  Soundings  were 
taken,  but  no  inequality  in  the  sea-bed  was  observed  sufficient  to 
account  for  them.  They  were  most  probably  due  to  circular 
currents  revolving  in  opposite  directions,  and  producing  the  broken 
water  at  their  points  of  contact. 

\Vc  stopped  for  two  days,  February  the  17th  and  iSth,  at 
Colombo,  the  capital  of  Ceylon,  and  then  steered  for  the  "  Eighth 
Degree  Channel,"  north  of  the  Maldive  Islands,  after  passing  through 
which  we  shaped  a  straight  course  for  the  Seychelle  Islands. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March  land  was  reported  right 


Our  First  Sight  of  the  Seychelles — Bird  Island,       2 1 1 

ahead  ;  but  as  we  soon  found  out  with  our  glasses,  all  that  was 
really  visible  above  the  horizon  was  a  big  tree,  which  by  an 
optical  delusion  appeared  to  be  of  a  prodigious  size,  and  on 
account  of  the  absence  of  the  usual  appearance  of  land  was 
thought  by  some  of  us  to  be  only  a  sail.  We  were  at  this  time 
about  ten  miles  to  the  north-east  of  Bird  Island,  the  most 
northerly  of  the  Seychellc  Group.  About  mid-day  we  anchored 
in  seven  fathoms  off  the  western  end  of  the  island,  some  dozen 
or  so  large  gannets  coming  off  to  meet  us,  and  hovering  inqui- 
sitively about  the  ship. 

Soon  after,  a  party  of  officers,  including  myself,  proceeded 
to  land.  On  touching  the  beach  we  were  met  by  a  pair  of 
negroes,  who,  we  learned,  formed  the  entire  human  population  01 
the  island.  They  occupied  some  wretched  huts  which  had  been 
hitherto  screened  from  our  view  by  a  dense  thicket  of  bushes, 
which  forms  a  fringe  around  the  margin  of  the  island,  and  gives 
it,  from  the  anchorage,  the  delusive  appearance  of  being  well 
wooded. 

Their  occupation  consisted  in  catching  and  drying  fish,  and  in 
salting,  for  consumption  at  Mahc,  the  bodies  of  sea-birds,  which 
breed  on  the  island  in  vast  number*,  and  which  are  easily  taken 
on  their  nests  during  the  breeding  season — now  just  coming  to 
an  end.  The  negroes  spoke  a  French  dialect,  and,  whether  owing 
to  their  habitual  taciturnity,  or  to  linguistic  difficulties  on  our 
part,  we  could  not  succeed  in  extracting  much  information  from 
them.  We  gathered,  however,  that  turtle  visited  the  island  for 
breeding   purposes,  but   not   at   this   time   of  the   year. 

Bird  Island  is  half-a-mile  long,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width,  being  thus  more  or  less  oval  in  outline.  It  is  formed 
entirely  of  coral,  and  is  margined  all  round  with  white  glistening 
beaches  of  calcareous  sand.  Outside  this  extends  a  fringing  reef, 
which  forms  a  submerged  platform,  on  which  there  is  some  three 
or  four  fathoms  of  water,  and  which  has  a  mean  width  radially  of 
about  a  quarter   of  a  mile.      There   is  no  encircling  barrier   reef, 


212  Cruise  0/ the  ''Alert:' 

while  the  soundings  arc  so  regular  as  to  exclude  the  existence  of 
coral  knolls.  The  general  surface  of  the  island  is  quite  flat,  and 
has  a  moan  elevation  above  the  sea-level  of  about  eight  feet. 
Immediately  within  the  sandy  beach  above  mentioned  is  a  raised 
inner  beach  composed  of  blown  sand  and  lumps  of  coral,  on  which 
flourishes  a  belt  of  low  green  Tounicfortia  bushes.  After  travers- 
ing this,  one  walks  over  a  rugged  plain  of  honey-combed  coral 
rock,  the  interstices  of  which  are  in  some  places  filled  with  sand 
and  vegetable  mould,  which  supports  a  more  or  less  general 
mantle  of  scrubby  grass,  interspersed  with  several  introduced 
plants  gone  wild.  Among  these  were  cotton,  sugarcane,  papaws, 
yams,  gourds,  cocoa-nuts,  and  perhaps  a  few  others.  It  appeared 
that  none  of  these  had  been  found  to  thrive,  which  no  doubt 
accounts  for  their  present  neglected  state.  We  now  ascertained 
that  the  large  tree  which  had  attracted  our  attention  from  the 
offing  was  a  Casnarina,  of  which  there  were  altogether  two  or 
perhaps  three  on  the  island. 

There  were  no  land  birds.  Sea  birds,  however,  were  very 
abundant,  and  seemed  in  many  ways  to  have  partially  adapted 
themselves  to  the  habits  of  their  terrestrial  congeners.  The  sand 
and  light  soil,  which  in  some  places  occupied  the  cavities  in  the 
coral  rock,  were  everywhere  excavated  by  the  burrows  of  petrels,  so 
that  within  an  area  of  four  square  yards  one  might  count  as  many 
as  a  dozen.  There  were  also  smaller  burrows — not  admitting 
the  hand — in  one  of  which  I  captured  a  land-crab.  Walking 
over  the  island — small  as  it  wa.s — proved  to  be  very  fatiguing 
and  aggravating,  for  after  one  had  e.xtracted  a  bruised  ankle  from 
some  treacherous  hole  in  the  coral,  which  the  long  grass  con- 
cealed, the  next  step,  taken  with  misplaced  confidence  on  an 
inviting-looking  patch  of  sand,  would  probably  put  the  other  foot 
through  the  frail  roof  of  a  petrel  burrow,  into  which  it  would 
descend,  to  the  alarm  and  indignation  of  its  proper  tenant,  no  less 
than  to  the  mortification  of  the  explorer. 

Many   gannets   were   breeding   on    the   island.     I    approached 


Sca-Btrds  on  Land.  2 1 3 

a  large  brown  bird  as  it  sat  on  its  nest,  and,  being  anxious  to 
obtain  a  specimen  of  tlie  egg,  endeavoured  to  frighten  it  off  by 
going  within  a  couple  of  yards  and  shouting  riotously.  The  bin!, 
however,  did  not  seem  to  heed  me.  I  then  tried  stones,  but  with 
no  better  result.  Eventually  I  had  to  resort  to  sterner  measures, 
which  I  forbear  to  mention,  but  which  proved  satisfactory.  The 
nest  consisted  of  a  few  twigs  and  pieces  of  withered  grass,  placed 
on  the  surface  of  the  hard  coral. 

The  terns,  of  which  there  were  great  numbers,  either  standmg 
quietly  on  the  ground  in  flocks  or  perched  singly  on  the  low 
bushes,  had  just  concluded  their  breeding  labours,  and  I  found 
a  few  abandoned  eggs.  Their  nests  were  similar  to  those  of  the 
gannet  above  mentioned.  Consorting  with  the  terns  and  gannets 
were  multitudes  of  white  egrets,  stalking  about  unconcernedly  in 
the  long  dry  grass,  or  perching  in  a  dreamy  sort  of  way  on  the 
topmost  twigs  of  the  bushes.  All  these  birds,  terns,  gannets,  and 
egrets,  seemed  to  be  quite  as  much  at  home  when  perching  on 
the  bushes  or  standing  in  the  grass  as  in  their  usual  attitude  on 
the  wing.  They  seemed  indeed  very  loth  to  fly,  and  after  being 
rudely  disturbed  soon  settled  down  again.  The  beaches  of  the 
weather  or  east  side  of  the  island  were  studded  with  great 
flocks  of  turnstones  and  curlews,  with  which  were  a  few  oyster- 
catchers,  and  soaring  high  overhead  was  a  great  flock  of 
frigate  birds. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  (March  5  th)  we 
were  again  under  way,  and  steering  towards  Port  Mahc^,  which 
lies  sixty  miles  to  the  southward  of  Bird  Island.  The  dredge 
had  been  laid  out  from  the  stern  of  the  ship  soon  after  anchoring, 
and  on  hauling  it  up  just  before  waying,  one  of  the  tangles  was 
iound  to  have  attached  to  it  a  large  slab  of  dead  coral,  which 
contained  a  great  variety  of  forms  of  life.  There  were  on  its 
surface  several  detached  masses  of  growing  Corals,  comprising  five 
or  six  different  species,  and  an  equal  number  of  Polyzoa,  besides 
some  Nulliporcs  and  Millcporcs.      In  the  interstices  were  several 


2  14  Cruise  of  the  ''Alerir 

species  of  shells,  worms,  and  Ophiurius,  and  two  or  three  species 
of  sponge. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  anchored  at  Mahc,  the 
chief  island  of  the  Seychclle  Group. 

Seychelles,  a  term  which  is  used  to  comprise  the  group  of 
eighty  islands,  has  been  a  British  colony  since  the  year  1794, 
when  it  was  taken  from  the  French  by  force  of  arms.  Most  of 
the  land  is  in  the  possession  of  descendants  of  the  old  French 
settlers,  men  who  have  the  reputation  of  being  devoid  of  enterprise, 
and  of  squandering  the  produce  of  their  land  in  habits  of  dissipa- 
tion. We  were  told  that  among  the  upper  classes  there  were  only 
about  six  Englishmen  in  the  group,  including  the  governor, 
secretary,  and  doctor,  etc.  By  a  census  taken  in  1880,  the  total 
population  was  14,03 5,  of  which  2,029  was  represented  by  African 
negroes.  The  pojjulation  of  the  chief  island,  Mahc,  alone 
amounted  to  1 1,393,  so  that  there  remains  less  tlian  3,000  to  be 
divided  among  the  remaining  islands  of  the  Group.  The  total 
has  since  been  increasing,  owing  to  a  stream  of  immigration  having 
set  in  from  Mauritius,  where  there  exists  a  commercial  depression  ; 
so  that  at  the  time  of  our  visit  it  was  said  to  amount  to  i  8,000. 

I  think  that  to  most  people  Seychelles  is  principally  known  as 
the  home  of  that  eccentric  palm,  the  double  cocoa-nut,  or  "  Coco 
dc  Mer."  Its  range  is  indeed  very  restricted,  being,  in  fact, 
limited  to  Praslin, — one  of  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Group, — 
and  even  there  it  only  grows  in  one  particular  valley.  A  few 
have  been  introduced  into  Mahc,  and  great  care  is  now  being 
taken  in  order  to  promote  their  extension.  There  was  a  hand- 
some specimen  of  the  female  tree  growing  in  the  grounds  of 
Government  House,  which  was  shown  to  me  by  Mr.  Brodie,  the 
courteous  Secretary  to  the  Council.  The  tree  being  unisexual, 
isolated  specimens  can  only  be  made  fruitful  by  artificial  means. 
In  the  present  instance,  the  tree  being  over  thirty  years  old,  and 
in  the  proper  condition  for  impregnation,  Mr.  Brodie  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  obtain  from   Praslin  the  reproductive  portion  of  a 


The  Coco-de-Mer — A  Huge  Land  Tortoise.  215 

male  plant,  which  he  had  placed  over  the  immature  fruits  on  the 
female  tree.  The  male  tree  bears  a  lonjj  thick  spike,  studded 
with  minute  flowers,  the  pollen  from  which  must  be  shaken  over 
the  female  flowers,  in  order  to  insure  impregnation.  The  tree  at 
Malic  was  about  twenty  feet  high,  but  I  was  informed  by  Mr. 
Brodie  that  fully  grown  trees  in  the  island  of  I'raslin  attain  a 
height  of  a  hundred  feet.  The  mature  nuts  if  left  on  the  ground 
readily  germinate.  The  outer  hard  covering  splits  at  the  sulcus 
of  the  nut,  and  from  thence  shoots  out  a  rhizome,  which  after 
extending  underground  for  a  few  feet  gives  origin  to  the  future 
stem  and  rootlets,  which  proceed  respectively  upwards  and  down- 
wards from  the  termination  of  the  rhizome.  The  Coco  de  Mer  is 
an  article  of  trade,  a  good  many  being  brought  over  annually  to 
Mahe,  where  some  are  sold  to  visitors  as  curiosities,  while  the 
remainder  are  shipped  to  tiic  Red  Sea  ports  to  be  sold  to  the 
Arabs,  who  have  a  profound  belief  in  their  jncdicinal  properties. 

In  the  gardens  of  Government  House  were  also  two  fine 
examples  of  the  celebrated  Land  Tortoise  of  Aldabra,  an  animal 
which,  although  indigenous  in  Aldabra  Island  alone,  has  of  late 
years  been  introduced  into  many  of  the  neighbouring  islands.  The 
pair  at  Mahe  were  male  and  female,  and  weighed  respectively  about 
four  hundred  and  five  hundred  pounds.  The  male  seemed  to  have 
no  difficulty  in  bearing  a  man  upon  his  back.  At  the  time  of 
our  visit  the  female  had  just  commenced  to  lay,  depositing  her 
eggs  in  holes  which  she  excavated  in  the  damp  soil,  and  carefully 
filled  in. 

From  a  commercial  point  of  view,  the  Seychelle  Islands  are 
now  in  a  transition  state.  The  cocoa-nut  industry  has  oi  late 
years  been  unprosperous,  mainly  owing  to  the  ravages  of  a  worm 
which  invades  the  roots  and  stem  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  and 
causes  them  to  dwindle  and  perish.  The  produce  of  oil  has  con- 
sequently been  so  reduced,  and  the  freight  charges  continue  to  be 
so  high,  on  account  of  the  absence  of  steamship  competition,  that 
only  a  small  margin  of  profit  is  left  to  the  planter.      This  failure 


2i6  Cruise  of  the  "Alert r 

of  the  cocoa-nuts  has  led  to  a  revival  of  tlic  old  spice  industry, 
which,  under  the  early  French  settlers,  was  at  one  time  deemed 
likely  to  vie  with  that  of  the  Moluccas.      On  looking  over  the 
Blue    Book    Report,  I    find    that    in   the  year    iS8o  there  were 
1 2,000  acres  of  land  planted  with  cocoa-nuts,  which  in  spite  of 
the  recent  blight  continue  to  be  the  staple  product  of  the  Group. 
In  the  same  year  there  were  one   hundred  and  fifty  acres  devoted 
to    the   growth    of  vanilla ;    a   hundred   acres   were  planted   with 
cacao  bushes,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  were  producing  cloves  ; 
besides  a  large  extent  of  land  bearing  coffee  plantations.     Both  the 
Liberian  and  the  common  coffee  plants  have  been  introduced,  and 
found  to  grow  remarkably  well.     Vanilla,  in  particular,  seems  to 
find  a  congenial  home  in  the  Seychelle   Islands,  and,  during  our 
short  visit  to  the  colony,  we  gathered  that  the  future  hopes  of  the 
settlers  were  mainly  centred  upon  the  successful  cultivation  of  this 
plant.      It  grows  rapidly,  and  although  the  flowers  require  to  be 
fertilized  by  hand,  yet  this  process  is  so  readily  performed  that 
beans  of  large  size  and  excellent  quality  are  produced.      It  is  as 
yet  only  grown   in  a  small  way,  most  of  the  vanillerics,  as  these 
plantations  are  called,  covering  only  an  extent  of  about  five  acres. 
It  is  estimated  that  each  plantation  of  this  size   represents   an 
annual  produce  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds'  weight  of  vanilla 
beans.     We  inspected  some  plants  in  the  garden  of  Dr.  Brookes, 
an  old   resident,  and  noticed  that  the  beans  averaged  eight  inches 
in  length,  and  were  otherwise  well  formed.     He  told  us  that  he 
had    been    most   successful   in    the  curing   of   these    beans,   and 
expected  that  when  they  became  well  known   they  would  com- 
mand a  large  price  in  the  European  markets,   and  that  eventually 
vanilla  would  became  the  staple  produce  of  the  Seychelle  Islands. 
The  method  employed  at  Seychelles  for  the  expression  of  the 
oil  from  the  internal  white  lining  of  the  cocoa-nut  struck  me  as 
being  novel  and  primitive  ;  and  as  it  is  said  to  be  very  efficient, 
I  shall  try  to  give  an   intelligible  description  of  a  crushing  mill 
and  its  mode  of  construction.      In  principle  it  is  a  sort  of  gigantic 


A  Primitive  Crushing  Mill.  z  1 7 

pestle  and  mortar,  in  which  the  pestle  is  made  to  perform  a  move- 
ment of  circumduction,  and  whilst  doing  so  to  rotate  against  the 
sides  of  the  mortar,  where  the  crushing  process  is  effected.  A 
large-stemmed  tree  of  very  hard  wood  having  been  cut  down,  so 
as  to  leave  about  three  feet  of  the  trunk  projecting  above  the 
ground,  a  bucket-shaped  cavity  is  excavated  in  the  stump.  A 
heavy  round  spar  about  ten  feet  in  length  is  stepped  into  this 
cavity,  and  is  made  to  incline  forcibly  to  one  side  by  means  of 
a  wooden  outrigger,  which  is  supported  by  a  rope  attached  to  the 
head  of  the  spar,  and  is  weighted  with  heavy  stones  placed  at  its 
outer  extremity.  The  inner  end  of  the  outrigger  is  fitted  with 
wide  U-shaped  jaws,  which  engage  in  a  collar  scored  in  the  tree 
stump  just  above  its  point  of  emergence  from  the  ground,  while 
the  rope-lift  which  supports  its  outer  extremity  is  so  attached  to 
the  head  of  the  upright  spar  that  the  outrigger  may  be  free  to 
move  radially  about  the  stump  at  the  same  time  that  the  upright 
spar  rolls  round  on  its  long  axis,  as  it  presses  heavily  against  the 
sides  of  the  trough.  Finally  a  small  hole  is  bored  laterally,  so  as 
to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  cavity  in  the  tree  stump,  and  into  this 
is  thrust  a  short  bamboo  tube  to  act  as  an  oil-tap.  The  broken- 
up  copra  is  thrown  in  around  the  lower  extremity  of  the  upright 
spar,  and  a  bullock  is  set  to  work  to  drag  round  the  outrigger 
arrangement.  The  only  attendance  required  is  that  of  a  small 
boy  to  feed  the  wooden  trough  with  copra,  and  occasionally  to 
throw  stones  so  as  to  accelerate  the  otherwise  lazy  motion  of  the 
bullock.  In  the  mill  which  I  examined  the  oil  was  flowing 
steadily  from  the  bamboo  tap  in  a  clear  limpid  stream, 

We  dredged  several  times  with  the  steam  cutter  in  the  channel 
between  Mahe  and  St.  Anne's  Island,  and  also  in  St.  Anne's 
Channel.  The  depth  of  water  in  these  channels  ranged  from 
four  to  twelve  fathoms,  and  the  bottom  consisted  of  sand  and 
coral.  The  fauna  was  abundant,  and  comprised  Shells  of  the 
genera  Murex,  Area  ;  large  grey  Ilolothurians  ;  Echinoderms  of 
four  or  five  species  ;  Crustacea  of  the  genera  Tlialamites,  Galatliea, 


2i8  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert:'' 

Porcellaiia,  Atergitus,  Scilla,  Alpluns,  etc.,  and   a   large  variety  of 
Corals  and  Polyzoa. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  objects  about  the  foreshore  at 
Port  Mah^  is  a  curious  fish  of  the  genus  Periophthalmus,  which 
may  be  seen  not  only  jumping  about  the  dry  mud  flats  at  low 
water,  but  also  climbing  up  the  rugged  vertical  faces  of  the  blocks 
of  granite  of  which  the  sea-wall  and  pier  are  formed.  It  is  very 
difficult  indeed  to  catch  one,  as  I  have  good  reason  to  know. 
Associated  with  them  were  several  species  of  crabs,  among  which 
I  recognized  representatives  of  the  genera  Macrophtlialmus,  Gela- 
simiis,  Grapsus,  and  Ocypoda. 

The  Seychelles  are  peculiar  in  being  the  only  small  tropical 
oceanic  islands  of  granitic  structure.  All  the  others,  excepting 
St.  Paul's  Rocks,  are  either  of  volcanic  or  coral  formation.  The 
rock  about  Port  Mahc^  is  a  sycnitic  granite,  in  which  the  mica  of 
ordinary  granite  is  replaced  by  hornblende.  In  some  cases  the 
felspar  is  coloured  blue,  in  others  reddish,  and  in  every  instance 
it  occurred  in  large  coarse  crystals.  The  soilcap  was  a  reddish 
pasty  clay,  of  great  thickness.  In  one  of  the  road  cuttings  near 
the  settlement  a  section  of  this  clay  fully  ten  feet  in  depth  was 
exposed. 

We  left  Mah^  on  the  14th  of  March,  and  on  the  following  day 
anchored  off  a  small  coral  islet,  the  northernmost  of  the  Amirante 
Group.  This,  with  another  similar  islet  adjoining,  constitute  the 
African  Islands.  A  party  of  surveyors  immediately  landed  in 
order  to  fix  on  a  suitable  place  for  taking  midnight  observations 
of  the  stars,  and  I  had  soon  afterwards  an  opportunity  of  landing 
to  explore.  The  islet  is  two  hundred  yards  long,  by  about  sixty 
yards  in  width,  is  more  or  less  elliptical  in  outline,  low,  and  flat, 
and  for  about  three-fourths  of  its  circumference  is  girt  by  a 
smooth  beach  of  coral  sand,  on  the  surface  of  which  I  noticed 
a  prodigious  number  of  Orbitolites  discs.  The  northern  end  of 
the  islet  is  composed  of  upraised  coral  sandstone,  which  has  been 
grooved  and  honeycombed   into  various  fantastic  shapes,  so  that 


Crabs  pursued  by  Eels.  2 1 9 

for  walking  over  it  presents  quite  as  unsatisfactory  a  surface  as 
volcanic  clinker.  All  the  central  part  of  the  islet  within  the 
inner  drift  beach  is  covered  with  scrubby  grass  and  low  bushes 
of  the  same  character  as  those  at  Bird  Island.  There  were  one 
or  two  young  shoots  of  a  Barringtonia  ;  but  nothing  else  in  the 
shape  of  an  arborescent  plant.  Among  the  dead  shells,  light 
driftwood,  and  bleached  sponges  and  coral  blown  up  on  the  inner 
beach,  I  noticed  some  of  the  familiar  rhomboidal  fruits  of  a 
Barringtonia. 

There  were  no  land  birds.  The  sea  birds  were  identical  with 
those  of  Bird  Island.  Young  unfledged  gannets  were  waddling 
about  among  the  bushes,  and  as  regards  the  other  birds,  their 
nesting  season  also  seemed  to  be  over.  I  did  not  notice  any 
petrel  burrows,  but  everywhere  near  the  beach  were  the  burrows 
of  a  littoral  crab,  a  species  of  the  genus  Ocypoda.  On  the  rocks 
at  the  northern  extremity  were  multitudes  of  the  widely  distri- 
buted Grapsus  variegatus.  When  chasing  them  over  the  rocks  of 
the  foreshore,  I  observed  that  they  were  reluctant  to  take  to  the 
water,  but  preferred  to  keep  clear  of  me  by  scampering  away  over 
the  coral  further  inshore.  The  cause  of  this  strange  behaviour  on 
their  part  soon  became  apparent ;  for  the  rockpools  about  the 
foreshore  were  tenanted  by  savage  grey  eels,  ranging  in  length 
from  two  to  three  feet,  and  I  saw  that  the  moment  an  unlucky 
crab  was  forced  to  enter  one  of  these  pools,  he  was  immediately 
snapped  up  and  devoured.  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  coolness 
with  which  an  eel  would  every  now  and  then  raise  its  head  above 
the  water  in  which  it  lay,  and  look  about  over  the  adjacent  rocks 
to  see  if  any  crabs  were  near.  On  starting  an  eel  from  its  hiding 
place,  it  would  scuttle  with  astonishing  rapidity  over  the  low 
rocks  which  separated  it  from  the  water's  edge,  so  that  it. 
was  no  easy  matter  to  secure  one  without  the  aid  of  a  gun 
Shooting  them,  as  they  wriggled  off  in  this  way,  was  rather 
good   sport. 

The  island    is   evidently  visited   b}-  turtle  during  the  breeding 


2  20  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert.'' 

season,  for  we  saw  several  of  the  excavations  in  which  they  were 
in  the  habit  of  depositing  their  eggs. 

We  got  under  way  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  after 
running  several  lines  of  soundings  over  the  outer  edge  of  the 
Amirante  bank,  steamed  over  to  Eagle  Island,  which  lies  about 
thirteen  miles  to  the  southward  of  African  Islands,  and  again 
dropped  anchor. 

P^agle  Island  is  somewhat  oval  in  shape,  and  is  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  long  by  one-eighth  in  breadth.  It  is  entirely  of  coral 
formation,  is  low  and  flat,  is  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of 
stunted  bushes,  and  in  other  physical  features  is  much  the  same 
as  the  African  Islands.  There  was,  however,  an  increase  in  the 
fauna  in  the  shape  of  a  small  red-legged  partridge,  which  was  very 
abundant,  and  afforded  us  some  good  shooting.  Owing  to  the 
thickness  of  the  scrub,  and  weedy  undergrowth  of  grasses,  ill- 
conditioned  gourds  and  calabashes,  it  was  found  very  difficult  to 
recover  the  dead  birds,  so  that  I  fear  there  were  a  good  many 
shot  which  were  never  bagged.  The  only  other  land-birds  on  the 
island  were  domestic  fowls  gone  wild.  Of  these  we  saw  an  old 
cock  and  hen,  and  some  three  or  four  chickens,  which,  on  being 
disturbed,  rose  and  took  to  flight  like  pheasants. 

In  the  interior  of  the  island,  among  a  tangled  scrub  of  bushes, 
we  found  the  remains  of  an  old  stone-built  hut,  which  from  the 
solidity  of  its  four  walls  would  seem  to  have  been  originally 
intended  as  a  permanent  dwelling  for  Europeans. 

I  took  several  specimens  of  a  small  species  of  lizard,  and  also 
some  of  the  tiny  spherical  eggs  of  the  same.  I  stowed  away  the 
eggs  in  a  matchbox  with  some  sand,  and  left  it  open  on  the  table 
of  the  deckhouse  on  board.  After  a  day  or  two  the  young 
lizards  began  to  break  out  of  their  eggs,  and  to  wander  about 
among  the  materials  on  my  work-table.  I  broke  open  one  egg, 
and  found  that  the  youngster  was  at  once  able  to  run  about. 
After  it  had  wandered  about  the  table,  and  up  and  down  the 
sides  of  some  bottles  standing  near,  it  returned  to  the  matchbox 


Darros  Island — Distribution  of  Corals.  2  2 1 

and  remained  for  a  long  time  hovering  about  it,  as  if  terrified  at 
the  immensity  of  the  world,  and  loth  to  venture  away  from  its 
former  narrow  dwelling. 

In  some  small  holes  about  the  centre  of  the  islet  we  found 
a  land-crab,  apparently  similar  to  that  of  Bird  Island  ;  and  from 
some  large  burrows  issued  the  peculiar  groaning  sounds  made  by 
the  night  petrel. 

One  of  the  most  singular  features  in  the  zoology  of  the  islet 
was  the  abundance  of  a  hermit  crab, — occupying  a  Nerilina  shell, — 
which  was  to  be  seen  and  heard  creeping  over  the  stems  and 
branches  of  the  bushes  in  all  directions.  They  seemed  for  the 
time  to  have  entirely  adopted  terrestrial  habits. 

We  got  under  way  again  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  March, 
and,  after  spending  the  day  in  sounding  from  the  ship,  steamed  up 
to  Darros  Island,  and  again  anchored. 

This  island  is  somewhat  circular  in  shape,  and  has  a  maximum 
diameter  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  It  is  inhabited  by  a  French- 
man and  his  wife,  who  are  assisted  by  nine  negro  labourers  from 
Mahe.  Adjoining  are  nine  small  islets,  bearing  a  rich  crop  of 
cocoa-nuts.  Darros  Island  itself  as  yet  produces  next  to  nothing, 
but  it  contains  a  large  plantation  of  young  cocoa-nuts,  which  in 
five  or  six  years  will  doubtless  be  productive.  Immediately 
behind  the  Frenchman's  house,  and  affording  an  agreeable  shade, 
was  a  handsome  grove  of  Casuarinas  about  eighty  feet  in  height. 
They  were  nineteen  years  old,  as  wc  subsequently  ascertained. 
Many  introduced  plants — such  as  papaws,  cotton,  pumpkin,  etc. — 
were  growing  in  a  neglected  state  over  the  island. 

We  dredged  from  the  ship  as  she  lay  at  anchor  in  twenty-one 
to  twenty-two  fathoms,  over  a  bottom  which  was  mainly  com- 
posed of  coral  debris,  and  among  the  living  organisms  brought 
up  were  three  species  of  stony  corals.  This  circumstance  is  of 
interest  as  regards  the  bathymetrical  distribution  of  corals,  inas- 
much as  Dana,  judging  from  the  results  of  observations  made  by 
various  authorities,  considers  that  twenty  fathoms  may  be  regarded 


2  22  Cruise  of  the  *' Alert."' 

as  the  limit  in  dcptli  at  which  rccf-forming  corals  live.  Polyzoa 
were  numerous.  I  noticed  representatives  of  the  genera  Retcpora, 
Crista,  Eschara,  Cellepora,  Lepralia,  and  Myriozonm.  There  were 
also  some  examples  of  Scrtularia  and  other  flexible  hydroids. 

Our  gropings  over  the  platform  of  fringing  reef,  which  formed 
the  foreshore  at  low  water,  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  several 
species  of  holothurians.  Among  these  was  a  large  Syiiapta,  which 
was  abundant,  and  a  very  tough-skinned  holothurian — of  the  genus 
Moliria — provided  with  organs  resembling  teeth  at  its  posterior 
extremity. 

On  March  23rd  we  moved  over  to  Poivre  Island — a  few  miles 
distant — where  we  anchored,  and  remained  for  part  of  two  days. 

Poivre  Island  was  colonized  for  the  first  time  in  the  year  1820. 
It  is  now  the  property  of  a  Frenchman  residing  at  Paris,  and  is 
managed  by  his  agent,  a  Monsieur  Bertaut,  who,  with  his  wife 
and  family,  and  some  twenty  negroes  and  their  wives,  form  the 
population  of  the  island,  altogether  amounting  to  twenty-seven. 
Of  course  the  staple  produce  is  cocoa-nut  oil,  and  the  island 
having  been  planted  with  cocoa-nuts  at  an  early  period  in  its 
history,  the  trees  are  in  good  condition  for  bearing,  and  cover 
every  available  spot  of  ground.  Among  the  other  trees  on  the 
island  I  noticed  a  Casuarina  and  a  Fiats.  Two  shrubs  were  com- 
mon ;  one,  called  the  "Bois  D'aimanthe"  {Suriana  »tariiii/ia),formed 
a  sort  of  hedge  around  the  island,  and  the  other  was  a  Toitrne- 
fortia,  which  seems  to  be  the  first  plant  to  establish  itself  on  these 
islands.  The  fauna  included  a  black-and-white  rabbit — of  course 
introduced — which  was  very  abundant,  and  some  pigeons  of  a 
dark-brown  plumage.  Pigs  and  domestic  poultry  seemed  to  be 
largely  favoured  by  the  colonists,  and  were  indeed  in  a  thriving 
state. 

Like  all  the  Amirantes,  Poivre  Island  is  low  and  flat,  and  is 
only  exceptional  in  being  the  most  prosperous  island  of  the  group, 
for  which  it  is  indebted  to  the  zeal  of  the  earlier  colonists  who 
planted   its  splendid  grove  of  cocoa-nuts.     The  island   is  oval  in 


Isle  des  Roches — Plan  is.  223 

shape,  about  two  miles  in  circumference,  and  it  has  a  broad  fring- 
ing reef  composed  of  drift  coral  and  sand,  but  exhibiting  no  live 
corals  and  very  few  shells. 

We  cast  anchor  off  the  north-west  side  of  Isle  des  Roches  on 
the  evening  of  the  25  th  of  March,  and  stayed  there  for  four  days. 
This  is  the  largest  island  of  the  Amirante  Group,  being  three  and 
a  half  miles  long,  and  having  an  average  width  of  half-a-mile.  It 
is  visible  for  a  long  distance  off,  on  account  of  its  possessing  several 
large  groves  of  tall  Casuarina  trees,  many  of  which  are  one  hundred 
and  eleven  feet  in  height.  On  the  shore,  immediately  opposite  to 
our  anchorage,  was  the  settlement,  which  then  exhibited  a  rather 
desolate  appearance,  as  many  of  the  houses  were  in  an  abandoned 
condition,  most  of  the  inhabitants  having  recently  gone  back  to 
Seychelles.  Only  two  individuals  remained,  French  Creoles,  who 
seemed  to  have  acquired,  from  their  solitary  situation,  habits  of 
taciturnity,  which  they  found  it  difficult  to  break  through.  At  all 
events,  we  could  not  succeed  in  extracting  much  information  from 
them.  They  were  well  off  for  supplies,  having  a  large  stock  of 
pigs  and  poultry,  besides  fruit  and  vegetables.  Cocoa-nuts  had 
been  planted  extensively,  but  as  yet  few  of  these  trees  were  old 
enough  to  bear  fruit.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  natives  were 
engaged  in  planting  vanilla  cuttings  about  the  bases  of  the 
casuarina  trees,  which  furnished  excellent  supports  for  the  creeper 
to  attach  itself  to. 

The  flora  was  more  extensive  than  that  of  the  other  islands. 
There  was  a  large-leafed  shrub  with  thick  branches  like  cabbage- 
stalks,  the  Scxevola  Kamgii,  which  over  ran  the  island.  There 
were  also  herbaceous  plants  of  the  families  Malvacea,  Solanaceir, 
CinchonacecB,  and  Convolvulacm.  Among  the  trees  I  noticed  a 
FicHs,  which,  however,  may  have  been  introduced  ;  and  here  I 
obtained  the  only^  fern  met  with  among  the  Amirantes,  the 
Nephrokpis  exaltata ;  it  was  growing  near  the  sea  beach  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  island. 

There  were  six  land  birds  :  viz.,  a  red-legged  partridge,  a  pigeon, 


2  24  Cruise  of  Ike  ^^ Alert." 

a  large  brown  finch,  and  a  small  yclIow-brcastcd  finch,  a  red- 
capped  weaver-bird,  and  a  waxbill  (?).  Of  these  I  could  only 
obtain  specimens  of  the  small  finch  and  the  weaver-bird.  The 
yellow-breasted  finch  is  gregarious,  and  mostly  frequents  the  tops 
of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  and  the  upper  branches  of  the  tall  casuarinas, 
where  it  keeps  up  an  incessant  melody  of  song,  pleasant  to  the  ear 
in  the  variety  and  succession  of  the  notes,  and  somewhat  resem- 
bling the  song  of  the  canary.  In  the  large  casuarina  grove,  near 
the  western  end  of  the  island,  I  succeeded,  but  with  much  difficulty, 
in  procuring  some  male  specimens  of  the  weaver-bird  {Foiidia 
Madagascarensis).  The  females  were  nesting.  I  observed  one 
of  the  latter  flying  away  from  the  tree  in  which  its  nest  was  con- 
structed, and  from  which  I  had  disturbed  it.  It  differed  from  the 
male  in  having  the  red-coloured  feathers  confined  to  the  head,  the 
rest  of  the  plumage  being  of  a  dull  brown.  The  nest  was  an 
oblong  affair,  having  a  lateral  opening,  and  was  constructed  of  a 
parasitic  plant  of  creeping  habit,  which  the  Creoles  use  for  making 
a  substitute  for  tea.  The  nest  hung  from  the  extremity  of  a 
casuarina  branch  which  projected  horizontally.  The  male  bird 
was  to  be  seen  perched  singly  on  the  summits  of  the  large 
casuarinas,  where  it  made  its  presence  known  by  a  peculiar 
and  characteristic  twittering  note  which  it  emits  about  four 
times  in  a  minute.  It  was  very  wary,  and  difficult  to 
approach  within  a  sixty  yards'  range,  so  that  it  was  only 
by  most  careful  stalking  that  I  could  succeed  in  bringing  down 
a  specimen.  The  brown  finch  was  not  abundant,  and  seemed 
to  confine  its  range  to  the  plantations  of  young  cocoa-nuts, 
where  it  was  continually  shifting  its  perch.  The  waxbill  was 
a  very  small  bird,  which  was  to  be  seen  every  now  and  then 
flitting  in  large  flocks  among  the  maize  plants  and  low  bushes. 
I  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  the  four  small  birds  above 
mentioned  were  so  very  wary,  as  there  were  no  predatory 
birds  on  the  island,  and  it  was  unlikely  that  they  had  ever 
been  shot  at  before.     Nevertheless,  the   motion  of  raising  one's 


Slruclure  0/  /he  Aini7-antes :  A   RcsiitHt.  225 

gun  at  a  distance  of  sixty  yards  or  more  was  enough  to  scare 
away  any  of  them. 

The  partridge  was  identical  with  that  already  seen  at  Eagle 
and  Darros  Islands.  The  pigeon,  which  I  have  included  among 
the  list  of  the  birds,  I  saw  only  once.  But  one  of  the  Creoles 
living  on  the  island  told  me  that  it  was  an  indigenous  species, 
and  was  quite  distinct  from  the  domestic  pigeons  which  roost 
about  and  restrict  their  range  to  the  houses  and  trees  about  the 
settlement. 

Although  this  island  has  been  classed  as  one  of  the  Amirante 
Group,  it  would  be  more  correct  to  look  upon  it  as  distinct  and 
apart  from  the  main  group,  inasmuch  as  the  bank  on  which  it 
rests  is  separated  from  the  Amirante  bank  by  a  deep  water 
channel  eleven  miles  wide.  We  sounded  across  this  channel,  and 
obtained  no  bottom  with  one  hundred  fathoms  of  line.  Isle  des 
Roches  is,  moreover,  peculiar  in  forming  part  of  an  atoll,  most  of 
which  is  submerged,  and  is  covered  with  from  two  to  five  fathoms 
ol  water.  The  circumscribed  patch  of  deep  water  in  the  interior 
has  a  depth  of  about  fifteen  fathoms. 

During  the  week  subsequent  to  our  departure  from  Isle  des 
Roches,  we  anchored  successively  off  the  four  remaining  islets  of 
the  group  ;  viz.,  Etoile,  Marie- Louise,  Des  Neufs,  and  Boudeusc. 
They  are  mere  cays,  formed  of  coral  and  drift  sand,  and  are 
uninhabited.  Owing  to  the  heavy  surf  which  broke  all  round  their 
shores,  we  ibund  it  unsafe  to  land. 

With  our  brief  visit  to  the  islets  just  mentioned  our  survey  of 
the  Amirante  Group  came  to  an  end.  I  will,  therefore,  before 
quitting  the  subject,  make  a  few  general  remarks  on  the  group  as 
a  whole.  The  Amirante  Group  consists  altogether  of  twenty-one 
low  coral  islets,  resting  (with  the  exception  of  Isle  des  Roches, 
which  is  on  a  separate  bank)  on  an  extensive  coral  bank,  whos*: 
long  axis  lies  in  a  north-north-east  and  south-south-west  direction, 
and  is  eighty-nine  miles  in  length,  with  an  average  breadth  of 
nineteen    miles.      It  is  included    between  the  limits  of  4^  500' and 

15 


226  Cruise  o/ i/ie  "Alert:' 

6°  I2i'  south  latitude,  and  53°  45'  and  52°  50.V  east  longitude, 
and  is  about  seven  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  nearest  part  of 
the  East  African  coast.  Some  of  the  islets  and  cays  of  which  it 
is  composed,  and  which  are  included  in  the  above  enumeration, 
are  so  grouped  into  clusters,  that  for  all  practical  purposes  the 
group  may  be  considered  as  consisting  of  nine  islets,  which  have 
been  named  African  Island,  Eagle  Island,  Darros  Island,  Poivre 
Island,  Des  Roches  Island,  Etoile  Island,  Marie-Louise  Island,  Des 
Neufs  Island,  and  Boudeuse  Island.  Of  these  only  three  are 
inhabited  ;  viz.,  Darros  (including  the  adjoining  islet  "  St.  Joseph," 
which  is  occupied  by  part  of  the  same  establishment  of  Creoles), 
Poivre  Island,  and  Isle  des  Roches  ;  the  population  consisting  of 
French  Creoles  and  negroes  imported  from  Seychelles,  who  make 
a  livelihood  by  cultivating  cocoa-nuts,  and  altogether  do  not 
exceed  forty  in  number.  The  islets  are  all  low  and  flat,  are 
formed  entirely  of  coral  and  coral-sandstone,  and  their  general 
surface  has  an  altitude  above  high  water  mark  not  exceeding 
fifteen  feet,  while  in  the  case  of  African  Island,  the  lowest,  it  is 
not  more  than  seven  feet.  Most  of  them,  however,  are  conspicuous 
from  a  long  distance  at  sea,  on  account  of  their  possessing  clumps 
and  groves  of  casuarina  trees,  which  tower  to  heights  ranging  from 
eighty  to  one  hundred  and  eleven  feet  above  the  soil,  as  ascertained 
by  trigonometrical  measurement.  The  casuarinas  at  Darros  Island, 
which  were  eighty  feet  in  height,  had  been  planted  nineteen  years 
prior  to  the  time  of  our  visit  by  a  Frenchman  named  Moyaeux, 
whom  we  subsequently  met  at  Providence  Island. 

All  the  islets  above-mentioned  possess  "  fringing  reefs,"  but  arc 
distinguished  from  the  coral  islets  of  the  South  Pacific,  and  of  the 
other  parts  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  by  the  entire  absence  of  "  barrier 
reefs."  The  soundings  which  we  made  over  the  Amirante  bank 
showed  a  general  uniformity  in  the  contour  of  its  surface  ;  whilst 
at  the  same  time  there  was  abundant  evidence  that  the  central 
portions  were  more  depressed  than  the  margins.  Soundings  in 
the  latter  situation  gave  a  depth  ranging  from  ten  to  fourteen 


Nature  0/  the  Coral  Bank.  227 

fathoms,  and  as  each  h'ne  of  soundings  reached  the  central  de- 
pressed area  of  the  bank,  a  depth  of  about  thirty  fathoms.  The 
islands  were  for  the  most  part  situated  near  the  margin  of  the 
bank,  and  were  in  every  case  surrounded  by  a  zone  of  shallow 
water.  Hence  it  is  obvious  that  if  the  entire  structure  were 
suddenly  to  undergo  an  elevation  of  about  fourteen  fathoms,  or 
eighty-four  feet,  it  would  present  the  appearance  of  an  atoll 
studded  with  comparatively  lofty  islets,  and  enclosing  a  lagoon 
of  still  water  sixteen  fathoms  in  depth. 

The  outer  edge  of  the  bank  was  exceedingly  abrupt,  for  within 
a  ship's  length  the  soundings  changed  from  ten  or  fourteen  fathoms 
on  the  margin,  to  no  bottom  with  one  hundred  fathoms  of  line 
immediately  outside  the  edge.  This  precipitous  character  of  the 
reef-edge  was  found  to  be  the  same  throughout  its  entire  extent. 
At  various  points  over  this  area  growing  corals  were  obtained  at 
depths  ranging  from  twelve  to  twenty-two  fathoms,  the  latter 
being  somewhat  greater  than  the  limit  in  depth  at  which  it  is 
generally  agreed  that  reef-forming  corals  can  live.  It  therefore 
follows,  that  if  the  entire  bank  were  now  to  subside  bodily  at  a 
faster  rate  than  the  corals  can  by  their  growth  raise  the  surface 
upwards,  these  organisms  would  soon  be  immersed  below  their 
natural  limit,  and  would  consequently  die.  But  we  have  no 
evidence  of  a  subsidence  having  occurred,  beyond  the  fact  that 
the  bank,  as  a  whole,  beais  a  resemblance  to  a  submerged  atoll, 
while  on  the  other  hand  there  are  some  positive  evidences  of 
elevation  to  be  seen  in  the  overlying  islands.  At  Eagle  Island, 
the  general  surface — that  is  to  say,  all  the  land  within  the  inner, 
or  coral-drift  beach — is  level,  and  consists  of  dead  coral  /«  situ  ; 
so  that  if  denuded  of  its  present  covering  of  low  vegetable  growth, 
it  would  present  much  the  same  appearance  that  a  broad  plat- 
form of  fringing  reef  might,  if  elevated  above  high-water  mark 
and  allowed  to  remain  exposed  to  the  weather  for  a  few  years. 
The  same  is  the  case  as  regards  the  greater  part  of  one  of  the 
African  Islands   which   we  visited  ;  while  its   northern   extremity 


2  28  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert." 

was  composed  of  upraised  coral  sandstone,  standing  in  situ,  and 
exhibiting  excavated  grottoes  and  jagged  pinnacles,  resulting  from 
old  marine  degradation.  It  may  therefore  be  inferred  that  these 
two  islands  have  been  subjected  to  a  movement  of  elevation  to 
the  extent  of  at  least  a  few  feet  at  some  period  subsequent  to 
the  formation  of  their  present  reef-coral  surfaces.  Again,  at  Isle 
des  Roches,  which,  however,  it  should  be  remembered  lies  on  a 
separate,  although  adjacent  bank,  there  were  along  its  south- 
eastern margin  stratified  beds  of  hard  coral  sandstone  occupying 
a  position  above  high-water  mark,  and  presenting  to  seaward  an 
abrupt  eroded  face  of  hard  rock  which  was  undergoing  degrada- 
tion, and  was  being  undermined  by  the  action  of  the  waves  on  a  soft 
subjacent  stratum.  As  regards  the  other  islands  of  the  group,  I 
have  seen  no  evidence  of  elevation  beyond  the  fact  that  they  are 
higher  than  cither  African  or  Eagle  Island  ;  one  of  the  most 
southerly  being  as  much  as  fifteen  feet  above  high-water  mark. 
I  may  add  that  the  absence  of  "  barrier  reefs "  throughout  the 
group  militates  against  the  probability  of  subsidence  having  taken 
place.  There  is,  therefore,  reason  to  believe  that  the  entire  group 
have  undergone  elevation  rather  than  subsidence ;  and  if  the 
forces  which  produced  this  condition  be  still  in  operation,  and 
continue  so  until  a  further  elevation  of  fourteen  fathoms  has  been 
effected,  there  will  result  an  atoll  over  eighty  miles  long  by  twenty 
in  width,  and  studded  with  lofty  coral  islands,  somewhat  resem- 
bling the  high  islands  of  the  south-eastern  Paumotus,  such  as 
Elizabeth  Island,  which  Dana  describes  as  being  eighty  feet  in 
height. 

The  Amirante  Group  furnishes  an  illustration  of  the  generally 
accepted  position  that  corals  grow  more  lu.xuriantly  on  the 
weather  than  on  the  lee  side  of  banks  and  reefs.  In  this  region, 
a  wind,  varying  in  direction  between  east  and  south-east,  prevails 
tiiroughout  ten  months  of  the  year,  and  consequently  gives  rise 
to  a  proportionately  constant  surface  current ;  and,  on  looking 
at  the  grouping  of  the  islets,  we  find   that  of  the  eight  which  rest 


Weather  and  Lee  Sides  contrasted.  229 

upon  the  same  bank,  six  are  situated  on  or  about  its  eastern 
margin,  while  the  remaining  two,  which  are  placed  on  its  south- 
western side,  are  comparatively  insignificant  sand-cays.  Again, 
Isle  des  Roches,  which  rests  on  a  bank  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Amirantes,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  deep-water  channel 
eleven  miles  wide,  is  situated  on  the  eastern,  or  weather  margin 
of  Its  own  bank — also  a  partially-submerged  atoll. 


CHAPTER     XII. 

CONCLUSION. 

ON  completing  our  surveying  work  at  the  Ainlrante  Group 
we  steamed  back  to  Port  Mahe,  Seychelles,  in  order  to 
replenish  our  stock  of  coals.  After  a  stay  of  a  few  days  we 
again  got  under  way  (17th  of  April),  and  shaped  a  course  for 
Alphonse  Island,  which  occupies  an  isolated  position  sixty 
miles  south-west- by-south  of  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
Amirante  bank. 

We  reached  Alphonse  Island  on  the  19th  of  April,  about  mid- 
day, and  saw  that  in  shape,  and  general  appearance,  it  much  re- 
sembled one  of  the  Amirantes — for  instance,  Poivre  ;  but,  however, 
in  one  important  characteristic  was  different.  It  possessed  a  sort 
of  barrier  reef  little  less  than  a  wash,  and  sufficiently  indicated 
by  a  long  line  of  heavy  breakers.  We  steamed  round  the  island, 
holding  a  course  parallel  to  the  line  of  breakers,  and  within  a  few 
ships'  lengths  of  it,  but  we  got  no  soundings  with  fifty  fathoms  of 
line.  On  attaining  a  position  opposite  to  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  island,  we  saw  a  canoe  approaching,  the  occupants  of  which, 
an  elderly  white  man  and  some  negroes,  soon  afterwards  boarded 
us.  The  information  which  they  gave  us  confirmed  our  im- 
pression as  to  there  being  no  anchorage  suitable  for  a  large  ship 
anywhere  near  tiie  island.  We  learned  that  it  was  the  property 
of  a  Frenchman  named  Baudon,  who  resides  in  Europe,  and  that 
the  population  consisted  of  twenty-eight,  si.x  being  whites — viz., 


Peat  l-shcU  Fishery.  231 

John  Hickcy,  the  manager,  witli  his  wife  and  children — and  the 
remainder,  mulattoes  and  negroes.  The  island  seemed  to  us 
to  be  covered  with  cocoa-nut  trees,  but  we  were  told  that  only 
a  small  number  were  old  enough  to  bear  nuts.  The  produce 
consisted  of  copra,  green  turtle,  hawk's-biU  turtle,  and  pearl-shell. 
Of  the  latter,  two  thousand  shells  had  been  exported  within  the 
previous  two  years;  and  we  also  learned  from  Hickey  that  he 
then  had  nine  hundred  in  store  awaiting  shipment.  The  shells, 
which  are  much  smaller  than  those  of  Torres  Straits,  and  have  a 
black  internal  margin  like  those  of  Ceylon,  are  obtained  by  negro 
swimming-divers.  They  arc  found  in  the  still-water  pools,  inside 
the  barrier  reef,  where  they  lie  in  four  or  five  fathoms  of  water  ; 
and  on  account  of  the  danger  from  sharks  they  are  only  sought 
for  in  these  enclosed  pools.  Although  a  good  many  pearls  of 
small  size  are  met  with,  the  commercial  value  of  the  fishery 
depends  on  the  mother-of-pearl  of  the  shells. 

Fish  are  caught  in  great  abundance,  and  as  poultry  thrive  well, 
a  large  stock  of  them  are  kept  and  allowed  to  run  wild.  Fresh 
water  being  also  plentiful,  the  inhabitants  arc  not  on  the  whole 
badly  off  for  the  necessaries  of  life. 

After  a  long  interview  with  old  Hickey,  who  most  generously 
presented  us  with  some  turkeys  and  ducks,  we  bade  him  a  long 
good-bye,  and  steamed  away  towards  Providence  Island. 

We  anchored  off  the  west  side  of  this  island  on  the  forenoon 
of  the  2  I  St  of  April,  and  lay  about  a  mile  from  the  land,  and  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  outside  a  long  fringing  reef,  over  the  raised 
outer  edge  of  which  the  sea  broke  heavily,  forming  an  almost 
continuous  line  of  rollers. 

Providence  Island  lies  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  the 
Amirante  Islands,  in  a  south  west-by-south  direction,  and  is  two 
hundred  miles  north-east-by-north  from  the  northern  extremity 
of  Madagascar.  It  is  entirely  of  coral  formation,  is  low  and  flat, 
and  measures  two  miles  in  length  by  one-third  of  a  mile  in  width. 
It  is  surrounded   with   broad   submerged    fringing   reefs,  which   at 


232  Cruise  of  the  ''Alert" 

the  southern  extremity  of  the  island  arc  continuous  with  a  long 
reef,  extending  in  a  southerly  direction  for  a  distance  of  sixteen 
miles,  and  partially  dry  at  low  tide.  At  its  southern  termination 
are  three  small  islets,  or  rather  sand-cays,  which  are  termed 
collectively  Cerf  Islands. 

Providence  Island  belongs  to  two  Scychelle  gentlemen ;  viz., 
Mr.  Dupuys  and  Dr.  Brookes,  for  whom  it  is  managed  by  an 
elderly  Frenchman  named  Hoyaeux.  The  population  consists 
of  Hoyaeux,  with  his  wife  and  nephew,  and  a  gang  of  negroes, 
male  and  female,  amounting  in  all  to  thirty-four.  The  houses  of 
the  settlement  are  situated  on  either  side  of  a  broad  avenue  which 
traverses  the  middle  of  the  island  from  east  to  west.  The  only 
landing-place  is  at  the  western  end  of  this  avenue,  opposite  to 
which  we  were  anchored  ;  and  even  here  it  was  always  somewhat 
dangerous,  and  in  bad  weather  quite  impracticable  to  effect  a 
landing,  on  account  of  the  rollers  which  broke  over  the  outer  edge 
cf  the  fringing  reef.  The  latter  forms  the  nearest  approach  to  a 
"barrier  reef"  which  I  have  yet  seen  in  these  waters;  excepting 
that  at  Alphonse  Island,  which  we  had  not  time  to  examine 
carefully.  The  depth  of  water  over  its  general  surface  is  not 
more  than  a  fathom  at  low  tide  ;  while  at  its  outer  edge,  which 
is  marked  by  the  line  of  breakers,  the  depth  is  only  a  foot  or 
so  less. 

The  produce  of  the  island  consists  of  cocoa-nut  oil  and  green 
turtle.  The  greater  part  of  the  island  is  covered  with  cocoa-nut 
plantations,  young  and  old,  for  which  the  soil  seems  admirably 
suited.  I  noticed  that  here  the  cocoa-nuts  had  been  planted  in 
the  surface  soil,  and  not  in  pits  as  at  Poivre  and  Des  Roches  ;  and 
on  my  making  a  remark  to  that  effect.  Monsieur  Hoyaeux,  the 
manager,  explained  to  me  the  reason.  It  has  been  found  by 
experience  that  cocoa-nuts  will  not  thrive  on  any  of  these  islands 
unless  they  are  so  planted  that  the  roots  may  be  enabled  to  reach 
the  bed  of  coral  into  which  the  sea-water  penetrates.  Hence  it 
follows  that  when   nuts  are  planted  on  any  but  very  low  coral 


Edible   Turtle — Common  Planls.  233 

islands  it  has  been  found  advisable  to  put  them  at  the  bottom  of 
basin-shaped  excavations  some  three  or  four  feet  in  depth,  so  that 
the  roots  may  have  a  chance  of  reaching  the  moist  coral  beneath. 
Providence  Island  being  sufficiently  low  by  nature,  it  was  not 
necessary  to  make  these  excavations. 

Green  turtle  are  captured  in  great  numbers  during  the  month 
of  April,  when  the  females  come  up  on  the  beaches  to  deposit 
their  eggs.  A  turtle  pond  near  the  settlement  contained,  at  the 
time  of  our  visit,  no  less  than  eighty,  all  of  large  size.  In  con- 
nection with  this  pond  a  portion  of  the  sandy  inner  beach  was 
wattled  in,  so  as  to  serve  as  a  hatching-ground  for  the  captured 
turtle.  As  soon  as  the  young  ones  have  become  sufficiently 
strong  to  take  care  of  themselves,  they  are  turned  adrift  into  the 
open  sea.  In  this  way  the  young  turtle  escape  the  danger,  which 
they  are  otherwise  exposed  to  when  of  a  tender  age,  of  being 
destroyed  by  predatory  sea-birds  ;  and  thus  the  maintenance  of 
the  stock  is  favoured.  It  is  a  curious  thing  that  young  turtle 
seem  to  have  a  difficulty  about,  or  a  strong  disinclination  to, 
diving  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  One  almost  always  sees 
them  floating  in  the  ponds,  instead  of  groping  about  the  bottom 
as  the  adults  do. 

The  indigenous  fauna  and  flora  were  almost  identical  with  those 
of  the  Amirantes,  except  that  there  were  no  land-birds  as  at  Isle 
des  Roches.  Monsieur  Hoyaeu.x  very  kindly  supplied  me  with 
the  Creole  names  of  the  trees,  shrubs,  and  one  or  two  herbaceous 
plants.  Among  these  were  the  "  Bois  Blanc  "  {IJernandia  peltatd), 
"  Sauve  Souris  "  (a  low  tree  with  long  dark  green  leaves),  "  Bois 
Cu  Cu  "  (a  tree  with  drupaceous  fruit,  having  a  curved  hook  at 
the  apex),  "  Veloutier  Tabac "  {Tonrnefortia  argentea,  a  seaside 
bush  of  the  family  Apocynacem,  the  leaves  of  which  are  sometimes 
smoked  instead  of  tobacco),  and  the  "  Veloutier  Blanc  "  [Scavola 
Kaiugii,  a  very  common  seaside  bush  of  the  family  Goodcuiacece). 
Some  of  the  bushes  and  Casuarina  trees  (called  "  Cedre  "  by  the 
Creoles)   were   overrun    with   a   parasitic   creeping  plant,   Cassytlui 


2  34  Cruise  of  the  "A /at:' 

filiforinis,  whicli  they  use  for  making  a  sort  of  tea,  and  to  whicli 
they  give  the  name  "  Liane  sans  feuilles." 

The  huge  land-tortoises  of  Aldabra  have  been  imported,  and 
seem  to  find  a  congenial  home  in  the  island.  There  was  a  herd 
of  seven  roaming  about  among  the  busiics,  one  of  which  was  said 
to  be  able  to  carry  two  men  on  its  back. 

Among  the  introduced  plants  and  vegetables  we  saw  the 
papaw,  custard-apple,  pepper,  sweet  potato,  onions,  lettuce, 
capsicum,  etc. 

Pearl-shell  is  collected  on  the  reefs,  but  not  as  yet  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  establish  a  lucrative  industry.  In  this  respect  the 
island  is  not  so  fortunate  as  Alphonse,  for  there  are  no  sheltered 
rock-pools  in  which  the  shell  can  be  collected  by  swimming- 
divers  without  danger  from  the  sharks  ;  the  sea  everywhere  flow- 
ing in  over  the  outer  edge  of  the  broad  fringing  reef,  and  the 
great  reef  to  the  southward  only  drying  in  patches  at  low  tide. 

Small  water-worn  fragments  of  precious  coral  (C.  rttbnuii)  arc 
from  time  to  time  picked  up  on  the  reef,  but  we  could  not  glean 
any  information  as  to  its  precise  habitat.  We  met  with  none  in 
our  dredgings,  which  ranged  up  to  a  depth  of  twenty-two  fathoms. 
It  probably  inhabits  the  deeper  water  on  the  outer  slope  of  the 
bank.  Madame  Hoyaeux,  who  was  most  kind  and  hospitable, 
presented  me  with  some  fragments  which  had  been  picked  up  on 
the  reef,  and  which  resembled  the  Coralliiim  rubrum  of  the 
Mediterranean. 

There  are  many  wells  on  the  island,  but  in  all  tlie  water  has  a 
saline  taste.  It  is  serviceable  enough  for  washing  and  cooking 
purposes  ;  but  for  drinking,  the  inhabitants  rely  upon  the  rain- 
water which  they  collect. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  28th  of  April  we  anchored  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  to  the  westward  of  three  small  islets,  which  rest  on  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Providence  Reef  I  then  accompanied 
the  captain  on  a  boat-trip  to  the  islets,  visiting  the  two  which  lay 
nearest.     The  ir.ost  northcrlv  of  these  we  found  to  be  a  low  and 


Cerf  Islets.  235 

almost  barren  sand-cay,  crcscentic  in  outline,  about  two  hundred 
yards  in  greatest  length,  and  thirty  yards  in  width.  Near  the 
eastern  extremity  were  two  rude  fishing-huts  which  seemed  to 
have  been  recently  inhabited.  They  contained  a  turtle-spear  and 
some  other  fishing  appliances,  a  hatchet,  a  bag  of  salt,  a  tinder- 
bo.\-,  and  some  other  small  bags  which  were  closed  up,  and  which 
a  delicate  regard  for  the  sacred  rights  of  private  property  deterred 
us  from  examining.  A  few  pearl-shells  of  the  species  peculiar 
to  these  islands  lay  in  a  heap  near  one  of  the  huts.  I  appropriated, 
without  any  scruple,  some  specimens  of  these,  leaving,  however,  in 
exchange,  a  big  lump  of  tobacco,  which  I  deposited  in  one  of  the 
bags  hanging  from  the  rafters  of  the  hut. 

Close  to  the  concave  margin  of  the  islet  was  a  small  turtle- 
pond,  composed  of  stakes  driven  vertically  into  the  soft  sand,  and 
lashed  together  so  as  to  form  a  circular  enclosure  through  which 
the  shallow  water  flowed  freely  at  all  times  of  the  tide.  It  con- 
tained six  large  turtle. 

The  only  plants  growing  on  the  islet  were  a  very  young  cocoa- 
nut,  scarcely  si.x  inches  high,  and  a  weed,  without  flowers,  some- 
what resembling  a  Alcscinbryanthetnnm,  and  evidently  growing 
wild.  The  latter  may,  I  think,  be  considered  to  be  the  only 
indigenous  plant  on  the  islet.  In  strolling  over  the  piled-up 
sand  and  broken  coral,  of  which  the  surface  of  the  islet  was 
composed,  I  came  across  three  fruits  of  the  widely-distributed 
Barringtonia  speciosa,  which  had  evidently  drifted  on  to  the  beach, 
and  had  then  been  blown  up  above  tide  mark. 

We  subsequently  visited  a  second  islet  which  lay  about  a  mile 
to  the  westward  of  the  above,  with  which  it  was  connected  by  a 
shallow  reef,  probably  laid  bare  at  low  tide.  This  second  islet 
proved  to  be  utterly  devoid  of  vegetation,  and  showed  no  signs 
of  having  ever  been  inhabited.  Strewn  over  its  surface  were 
great  quantities  of  dead  shells,  among  which  I  saw  examples  of  the 
genera  Harpa,  Dolimn,  Bulla,  Cyprcea,  Littorina,  Valuta,  Conns,  etc. 
From   here  we  obtained  a  good  view  of  the  third  islet,  and  could 


236  Ctuise  of  the  "■Alcrtr 

see  on  it  two  large  huts  and  several  clumps  of  bushes,  but  nothing 
in  the  shape  of  a  human  being.  (One  of  our  boats  visited  this  islet 
on  the  following  day  and  reported  that  the  huts  were  uninhabited, 
although  showing  signs  of  having  recently  been  in  use.)  There  were 
three  plants  ;  viz.,  the  Velouticr  Tabac  (Tournefortia  argcntca),  the 
Bois  D'aimanlhe  {SuriaKa  maritiina),  a  bush  with  lanceolate  woody 
leaves,  and  a  small  herbaceous  plant.  After  a  good  deal  of  groping 
and  wading  about  the  shores  of  the  islet,  we  returned  at  about  5  p.m. 
to  the  place  where  we  had  left  our  boat,  but  found,  to  our  dismay, 
that  the  tide  had  fallen  so  low  since  we  had  landed,  that  the  boat 
was  now  hard  and  fast  on  the  bare  reef,  and  after  repeated  efforts 
to  drag  it  over  to  the  reef-edge,  a  distance  of  nearly  half  a  mile, 
we  were  obliged  to  make  up  our  minds  to  wait  for  the  rising  tide. 
As  wc  were  unfortunately  without  any  provisions,  our  position  was 
not  the  most  agreeable,  especially  as  the  boat  was  not  floated  off 
till  near  midnight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  May  we  weighed  anchor  and 
steamed  over  to  the  island  of  St.  Pierre,  which  lies  about  ten 
miles  to  the  south-west  of  our  last  position.  We  spent  some 
hours  sounding  off  the  island  in  deep  water,  and  as  it  was 
reported  that  there  was  no  safe  anchorage,  the  captain  did  not 
attempt  to  land.  Seen  from  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile — the 
nearest  we  approached  to  it — St.  Pierre  appeared  to  be  of  a  very 
different  character  from  the  islands  recently  visited.  It  was  some- 
what circular  in  outline,  and  was  covered  by  a  dense  growth  of 
scrubby  bushes,  above  which  appeared  the  crowns  of  three  or  four 
isolated  palm  trees.  The  mean  level  of  its  surface  was  about 
thirty  feet  above  the  water,  so  that  it  was  three  or  four  times  as 
high  as  Providence,  or  the  Amirante  Islands.  It  presented  all 
round  a  precipitous  rock-bound  coast  worn  into  jagged  pinnacles 
above,  and  undermi.ned  below  by  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  heavy 
ocean  swell,  which  thundered  against  it  and  testified  to  its  eroding 
power  by  the  jets  of  spray  which  we  saw  shot  upwards  from  blow- 
holes  through  the  upper  surface  of  the  rock. 


Dh  Lnc  Island — Flora.  237 

On  the  3rd  of  May  we  anchored  off  Du  Lisa  Island,  the  most 

northern  of  the  three  islets  which  compose  the  Glorioso  Group. 
These  islets  He  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  to  the 
south-west  of  Providence  Island,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  in  a  west-by-north  direction  from  the  northern  extremity 
of  Madagascar. 

Du  Lise  Island  is  of  a  very  irregular  shape,  both  as  to  its 
surface  and  outline,  and  measures  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
across  in  various  directions.  It  seems  to  be  formed  entirely  of 
coral  sandstone,  conglomerate,  and  breccia,  and  presents  to  the 
sea  on  its  north-west  side  low  jagged  cliffs  of  consolidated  coral 
breccia,  and  on  the  opposite  side  a  sloping  beach  composed  of 
hard  coral  sandstone  arranged  in  gently  inclined  slabs  ;  while  its 
surface  is  in  one  place  raised  into  a  large  mound  about  thirty  feet 
in  height,  covered  witli  trees  and  rank  grass,  and  probably  com- 
posed of  blown  coral  sand.  Among  the  tufts  of  grass  on  the 
sloping  sides  of  this  mound  were  great  numbers  of  5//;'«/(/-shells 
in  a  tolerably  perfect  condition.  Many  of  them  lay  in  sheltered 
places  where  they  could  hardly  have  been  deposited  by  the  agency 
of  the  wind  alone,  and  yet  if  they  had  been  dropped  by  birds  after 
the  latter  had  devoured  the  soft  body  of  the  mollusc,  one  would 
e.Kpect  to  have  found  the  fragile  shells  in  a  more  or  less  mutilated 
state,  which  was  not  the  case.  The  circumstance  is,  therefore, 
a  rather  puzzling  one  to  account  for  satisfactorily. 

The  flora  was  more  abundant  in  species  than  at  any  of  the 
coral  islands  to  the  northward.  There  were,  moreover,  no  signs 
of  the  island  having  been  inhabited  ;  and  consequently  we  saw 
no  palms,  for  the  cocoa-nut  does  not  seem  to  be  indigenous  at 
any  of  the  islands  recently  visited.  The  prevailing  tree  was  a 
good-sized  banyan,  of  which  many  examples  appeared  to  be  very 
old.  There  were  also  several  Hibiscus  trees.  As  to  bushes,  there 
were  a  few  isolated  examples  of  the  "  Veloutier  blanc,"  while  the 
low  central  part  of  the  island,  into  which  the  seawater  penetrated 
so  as  to  form   a  filthy  salt-marsh,  was  covered  with   a  dense  ini- 


238  Cruise  of  Ike  "Akriy 

penetrable  tliicket  of  "  Bois  d'Aimanthe."  Herbaceous  plants  were 
numerous,  and  comprised  species  of  the  families  Solanacece,  Mal- 
vacem,  Eupliarbiauce,  and  Granuicece. 

The  fauna,  which  was  not  extensive,  included  a  brown  rat, 
which  was  to  be  seen  climbing  along  the  upper  branclxs  of  the 
trees,  apparently  in  search  of  small  birds  or  their  eggs  ;  a  lizard  ; 
a  large  brown  tiove,  pronounced  by  Mr.  Bowdler  Sharpe  to  be  a 
new  species  of  Turtur ;  a  Zostcrops,  and  a  sun-bird,  a  large  crab 
of  the  genus  Birgus  ;  terrestrial  hermit-crabs,  and  many  spiders. 

We  did  not  find  any  fresh  water.  The  soil  on  the  upper  parts 
of  the  island  was  a  dark  loam  ;  and  although  sea-birds  in  the 
shape  of  gannets  and  frigate-birds  were  abundant  and  bred  on 
the  island,  I  saw  very  little  guano. 

I  spent  the  forenoon  of  the  following  day  in  examining  the 
broad  fringing  reef,  a  great  extent  of  which  was  laid  bare  by  the 
low-water  spring-tide.  It  was  composed  of  coral  sandstone  and 
coral  breccia,  and  presented  a  rather  sterile  appearance,  being 
entirely  devoid  of  living  corals,  and  containing  very  few  zoophytes 
in  its  rock  pools.  I  was,  however,  interested  at  finding  on  the 
surface  of  this  reef  a  few  isolated  rounded  stones  which  were  quite 
foreign  to  tiic  surrounding  formation,  and  whose  source  remains 
a  mystery  difficult  of  solution.  One  was  an  oblong  block  of  hard 
black  basalt,  about  a  loot  long,  by  four  inches  in  width,  while  the 
other  was  a  lump  of  clear  quartz  the  size  of  an  orange,  and  much 
worn  by  attrition.  Darwin,  in  his  "  Journal  of  a  Naturalist," 
mentions  a  similar  occurrence  at  tlic  Keeling  Islands ;  and  in 
endeavouring  to  account  for  it,  inclines  to  the  belief  that  such 
stones  have  been  transported  by  floating  trees,  in  whose  roots 
they  were  originally  entangled,  and  iVom  whence  they  have  become 
detached  after  the  stranding  of  the  dead  tree. 

From  the  rock-pools  we  picked  up  some  large  Cone-shells,  as 
well  as  a  few  Muriccs,  Littorinas,  and  Turbos.  We  also  saw  some 
Ophiurids,  and  one  Holothurian. 

We  got  under  way  again  on  the  5  th  of  May,  and,  after  spending 


Glorioso  Islatid. 


239 


several  hours  in  taking  soundings,  came  to  an  anchor  in  eleven 
fathoms,  about  two  miles  to  the  northward  of  Glorioso  Island. 
This  is  the  largest  island  of  the  three  which  constitute  the 
Glorioso  Group  (Vert  Island  is  very  small  indeed),  and  is  some- 
what squarish  in  shape,  measuring  a  mile  and  a  half  each  way. 
It  consists  of  a  central  depressed  plateau,  in  which  the  wells  yield 
only  brackish  water,  enclosed  by  two  lines  of  circumvallation, 
which  are  composed  of  sand  hills  forming  continuous  ridges,  and 
ranging  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  outer  of  these  two  ridges  is  about  forty  yards  from 
highwater  mark  on  the  beach,  and  is  separated  from  the  inner 
ridge  by  a  broad  and  deep  furrow,  which  sustains  a  luxiiriant 
growth  of  "Veloutier"  and  "  Bois  d'Aimanthe"  bushes.  Near 
the  centre  of  the  island  we  saw  the  muddy  bed  of  a  marsh,  now 
dry,  which  one  of  the  negroes  informed  me  was  at  certain  times 
of  the  year  full  of  salt  water. 

Glorioso  Island  is  the  property  <3f  a  Frenchman  named  Carltot, 
who,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was  away  somewhere  in  Madagascar. 
The  population  consisted  of  the  manager — an  old  Frenchman — 
one  other  white  man,  and  fifteen  negro  labourers  ;  who,  with  their 
wives  and  families,  amounted  in  all  to  twenty-seven.  They  were 
endeavouring  to  cultivate  cocoa-nuts,  but  so  far  as  we  could  judge, 
without  much  success  ;  for  the  number  of  these  trees  bearing  fruit 
scarcely  amounted  to  twenty.  The  poor  people  were  in  great 
distress  for  want  of  clothes  and  provisions,  not  having  seen  any 
vessel  for  ten  months  before  our  arrival.  They  had  latterly  been 
subsisting  wholly  on  turtle  and  fish,  without  vegetables,  meal,  or 
bread  of  any  kind.  The  island  was  so  infested  with  rats  that  it 
was  found  almost  impossible  to  raise  any  vegetables.  In  fact, 
commercially,  it  has  proved  a  failure,  so  that  the  wretched  in- 
habitants were  only  awaiting  the  first  opportunity  for  quitting  it 
and  returning  to  Mah6. 

The  flora  resembled  that  of  Du  Lise.  The  banyan  tree,  called 
"  Fouce  "  by  the  Creoles,  was  conspicuous,  and   in  many  instances 


240  Ci/iisi'  of  I  he  "Alol.'^ 

seemed  to  be  of  great  antiquity.  I  noticed  the  same  land-birds 
as  at  Du  Lise,  but  there  was  an  addition  in  the  occurrence  of  the 
Madagascar  crow.  Frigate-birds  were  numerous  all  over  the 
island,  and,  strange  to  say,  were  frequently  to  be  seen  perch- 
ing on  the  branches  of  tail  forest  trees.  In  using  the  word 
"  forest "  for  the  first  time  whilst  speaking  of  these  islands,  I  should 
add  that  a  great  portion  of  Glorioso  was  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  virgin  forest,  upon  which  the  clearing  operations  of 
the  colonists  had  made  comparatively  feeble  inroads.  I  need 
scarcely  add  that  our  proximity  to  the  great  island  of  Madagascar 
was  rendered  apparent  by  the  above-mentioned  novelties  as  to 
fauna  and  flora  which  we  encountered  on  our  voyage  southward. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  circumference  of  the  island  is  fringed 
by  a  broad  reef  of  dead  coral  and  coral  sandstone,  on  which  rests 
in  many  places  a  thin  coating  of  mud  or  sand.  This  platform 
of  reef,  and  also  the  sandy  beach  proper,  together  exhibited 
examples  of  a  good  many  shells,  most  of  which,  however,  were 
dead  specimens.  We  saw  representatives  of  the  genera  Conns, 
Turbinella,  Fiisiis,  Cypraa,  Trivia,  Nassa,  Natica,  Ncritiiia,  Haliotis, 
Dolitim,  and  Oliva.  Besides  these  shells  there  was  little  else  to 
be  seen,  except  fragments  of  organpipe  coral  {Tnbipora  »tusica), 
and  the  bleached  tests  of  an  Echinus,  a  species  of  Hemiaster  {J). 

On  the  morning  of  the  Sth  of  May  we  were  again  under  way 
and  sailing  for  Mozambique  Island,  which  is  about  five  hundred 
miles  from  Glorioso.  On  the  evening  of  the  loth  we  passed 
within  a  few  miles  of  Mayotta,  one  of  the  Comoro  Islands,  and 
had  a  fine  view  of  its  high  volcanic  hills, — a  sight  peculiarly 
grateful  to  eyes  now  for  some  time  accustomed  to  seeing  land 
only  in  the  shape  of  low  coral  islands.  As  we  passed  to  the 
eastward,  the  shadow  cast  by  the  western  declining  sun  on  the 
face  of  the  island  brought  out  the  outline  of  its  hills  in  the  form 
of  a  bold  silhouette. 

May  I2tn,  about  midday,  looking  to  the  westward  we  saw  a 
great  flat-topped  hill  appearing  above  the  horizon.     This  was  our 


Table  Mou7itain — Mozambique  Island.  241 

first  view  of  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  and  proved  to  be  Table 
Mountain,  a  hill  two  thousand  feet  high,  and  situated  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  inland.  Being  of  such  a  height  it  was  visible  to 
us  from  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  when  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
of  the  coast  itself  or  of  the  intervening  lowlands.  Shortly  before 
dusk  we  steamed  up  to  the  north  side  of  Mozambique  Island, 
and  anchored  for  the  night  in  an  open  roadstead,  whence,  on  the 
following  morning,  we  moved  into  the  inner  anchorage. 

Mozambique  Island  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Portuguese 
since  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century.  About  the  year  1505 
they  commenced  to  build  a  large  fort  on  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  island.  It  was  designed  on  a  scale  of  great  magnitude, 
and  although  constructed  entirely  of  stone,  and  entailing  an 
immense  amount  of  labour,  was  completed  within  a  period  of 
about  seven  years.  Having  then  by  means  of  this  stronghold 
established  themselves  securely  and  made  this  island  a  base  of 
operations  for  further  conquests,  they  began  to  anne.x  nominally 
a  great  extent  of  territory  along  the  neighbouring  coast  of  Eastern 
Africa.  For  the  next  two  hundred  years,  or  thereabouts,  most 
of  the  trade  of  the  coast  passed  through  Mozambique,  and  the 
position  was  therefore  of  great  importance,  both  in  a  commercial 
and  political  point  of  view.  The  produce  consisted  of  ivory, 
cocoa-nut  oil,  india-rubber,  gold,  amber,  and  calumba  root.  Of 
late  years  Zanzibar  has  monopolized  most  of  the  East  African 
trade,  and,  consequently,  Mozambique  has  been  losing  its  impor- 
tance, and  has  now  almost  ceased  to  be  a  centre  of  commercial 
industry.  Indeed,  the  only  African  export  of  any  moment  which 
now  passes  through  Mozambique  is  india-rubber,  which  is  said  to 
be  of  good  quality,  and  of  which  large  supplies  are  forthcoming. 

The  coast  tribes  have  never  properly  fraternized  with  the 
Portuguese,  and  although  a  large  force  of  troops  is  maintained 
at  the  fort,  the  few  colonists  who  now  reside  on  the  mainland  are 
practically  at  the  mercy  of  the  natives.  At  present,  a  large  tribe, 
the    Macolos,  hostile   to   the  Portuguese,  and    numbering    about 

16 


242  Cruise  of  the  '■^ Alert.'''' 

fifteen  thousand,  were  encamped  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Pau 
Mountain,  a  hill  which  we  could  see  from  the  ship,  and  which  is 
only  twenty  miles  distant  The  Macolo  dialect  is  the  same  as 
that  used  by  the  black  natives  of  the  island. 

Mozambique  Island  is  a  mile  and  a  half  long  by  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  width,  and  is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  shallow 
channel  one  mile  broad,  through  which  the  ebb  and  flood  tides 
run  with  great  velocity.  Considering  the  small  area  of  the  place 
the  population  is  dense,  amounting  altogether  to  seven  thousand. 
It  is  composed  of  African  blacks.  Banyans  from  Kutch  and 
Gudjerat  in  Hindostan,  Portuguese,  Arabs,  and  English.  There 
are  only  five  of  the  latter  nationality  ;  viz.,  the  British  Consul, 
Mr.  O'Niel  (late  Lieut.  R.N.);  Mr.  Cassidy,  superintendent  of  the 
telegraph  cables  ;  Mr.  Parlett,  agent  for  the  British  India  Steamers ; 
and  two  telegraph  operators.  The  number  of  Portuguese  forming 
the  garrison  of  the  island  amounts  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  ;  and, 
besides  these,  there  is  a  detachment  of  sixty  soldiers  stationed  on 
the  adjoining  shore  of  the  mainland. 

There  is-  a  local  trade  in  an  intoxicating  liquor  called  "  Caju," 
which  is  made  from  the  fermented  juice  of  the  soft  part  of  the 
cashew  fruit,  by  distillation.  It  is  said  that  a  tablespoonful  of 
this  liquor  is  sufficient  to  intoxicate  an  ordinary  man,  and  to 
give  him  a  fearful  headache  as  well. 

I  spent  several  hours,  while  the  tide  served,  in  exploring  the 
neighbouring  reefs  for  shells  and  other  marine  specimens.  Among 
the  former  were  three  species  of  cowries,  C.  Tigris,  C.  JManritiana, 
and  C.  Moncta  ;  a  large  Fiisus,  a  Haliotis,  a  Volute  ;  an  Ostrcea, 
a  Conus,  a  Tridacna,  and  a  Pinna  ;  while  on  the  beach  we  found 
Naticas,  NerifitMs,  and  Pitiuas.  Several  Echitwdenns  were  also 
seen,  comprising  four  Ophinrids,  and  three  or  four  Astcrias.  Of 
the  latter,  there  was  one  huge  species  of  a  blood-red  colour  on 
the  upper  surface,  and  gaudily  variegated  with  round  blotches  of 
yellow.  Among  Crustaceans,  the  most  common  form  was  a 
Calappa.     Grapsus  was  also  represented,  and  a  few  Maioid  species 


Fauna  of  the  Reefs — We  proceed  Homeward.       243 

were  also  captured.  On  opening  a  couple  of  clam-shells  some 
curious  commensal  crabs  were  found  Inside,  two  in  each  shell  ; 
they  seemed  to  be  very  reluctant  to  leave  their  old  quarters. 

Fringing  the  adjoining  shore  of  the  mainland  was  a  large 
extent  of  reef  covered  with  fine  sand,  and  bearing  a  luxuriant 
crop  of  short  green  sea-wracks  {Zosterd).  Under  shelter  of  this 
weed  we  found  a  great  number  and  variety  of  Holothurians.  A 
long  Synapta,  unpleasant  to  handle  on  account  of  the  pricking 
sensation  which  its  spicules  imparted  to  the  skin,  was  here  obtained, 
and  a  small  conger  eel  dwelt  in  burrows  projecting  downwards 
from  the  bottom  of  small  pits  in  the  sand,  where  it  might  be  seen 
protruding  its  head  on  the  look-out  for  its  prey. 

The  most  frequent  shell  on  this  part  of  the  reef  was  a  species 
of  Pinna  about  eight  inches  long,  which,  in  numbers  of  three  or 
four  together,  was  generally  to  be  seen  anchored  vertically  in  the 
sand  by  means  of  its  long  byssus.  The  lips  of  the  shell  were  so 
very  fragile,  and  the  byssal  attachment  was  so  firm,  that  it  was  no 
easy  matter  to  root  up  an  uninjured  specimen.  About  the  roots 
of  the  green  sea-wrack  nestled  in  great  numbers  a  tiny  cowrie,  the 
collection,  of  which  gives  occupation  to  great  numbers  of  women 
and  children,  who  may  be  seen  scattered  over  the  reefs  every  day 
at  low  tide.  Great  quantities  of  these  shells  are  exported  to  the 
west  coast  of  Africa  for  the  benefit  of  the  negro  tribes  there,  who 
still  make  use  of  them  as  the  current  coin  of  the  country. 

With  our  arrival  at  Mozambique  terminated  the  surveying 
operations  of  the  Alert,  so  that  it  only  remained  for  us  now,  on 
receiving  our  mails,  to  make  the  best  of  our  way  to  England.  \Vc 
accordingly  sailed  on  the  22nd  of  May,  and  proceeded  on  our 
voyage  towards  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  we  expected  to 
reach  in  about  a  fortnight's  time.  However,  the  weather  proved 
to  be  most  unfavourable,  for  on  passing  to  the  southward  of 
Madagascar,  where  we  had  calculated  on  meeting  with  the  south- 
easterly trade  wind,   we   encountered  instead  a  westerly  breeze, 


244  Cruise  of  the   '* Alerts 

accompanied  by  a  rather  heavy  sea,  so  that  our  progress  for  the 
time  was  far  from  satisfactory.  On  reaching  the  latitude  of  Algoa 
Bay,  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  it  was  decided  on  running  in 
there  for  coal,  which  we  accordingly  did,  anchoring  off  the  town 
of  Port  Elizabeth  on  the  9th  of  June,  and  remaining  there  until 
the  morning  of  the  i  ith,  when  we  resumed  our  voyage  to  the 
Cape. 

We  arrived  at  Simon's  Bay,  Cape-  of  Good  Hope,  on  the  14th 
of  June,  and  made  a  stay  of  fourteen  days,  which  was  necessary 
in  order  to  enable  us  to  refit  and  rcvictual  the  ship,  and  otherwise 
prepare  for  the  homeward  voyage  through  the  Atlantic. 

On  one  of  the  few  days  which  I  here  spent  on  shore,  I  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  Mr.  Black,  a  fine  hale  old  man,  a  shipwright 
by  trade,  who  supplemented  his  regular  work  by  collecting  and 
preparing  for  sale  various  curiosities  of  natural  history,  especially 
the  skins  and  horns  of  many  South  African  animals  of  the  antelope 
family.  His  latest  trophy  was  a  very  large  specimen  of  the  egg 
of  the  Epioriiis  of  Madagascar,  a  gigantic  bird  which  would  seem 
to  have  become  extinct  almost  within  the  historic  period.  -He  had 
purchased  this  egg,  as  a  commercial  speculation,  from  the  super- 
cargo of  a  trading  schooner,  and  hoped  to  realize  a  considerable 
profit  by  disposing  of  it  to  one  of  the  European  museums.  It  was 
indeed  of  enormous  proportions — although  not  actually  the  largest 
on  record — for  it  measured  eleven  and  three-quarter  inches  in  length 
and  eight  and  a  half  inches  in  breadth,  while  it  had  a  capacity  of 
about  eight  quarts.  The  shell  was  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, as  I  ascertained  by  measuring  it  at  the  smaller  end,  where 
there  was  an  aperture  large  enough  to  admit  the  thumb.  He 
could  not  give  me  any  information  as  to  the  conditions  under 
which  it  was  found,  and  although  he  had  paid  a  large  sum  for  it 
seemed  to  be  unaware  of  the  fact  that  somewhat  similar  specimens 
existed.  It  ajjpearcd  to  be  in  a  sub-fossil  condition,  and  was 
dotted  over  externally  with  fine  pits,  so  that  its  surface  somewhat 
resembled  that  of  an  old   half-decaj-ed  human  skull.     About  one- 


Arrival  Home.  245 

third  of  its  surface  was  stained  uniformly  of  an  earthy  colour, 
suggesting  the  idea  that  it  must  have  remained  for  a  long  time 
partially  imbedded  in  the  ground. 

On  the  direct  homeward  voyage  we  stopped  for  a  few  days  at 
St.  Helena,  and  also  at  Fayal  in  the  Azores,  finally  reaching 
Plymouth  Sound  on  the  3rd  of  September,  1882,  after  an  absence 
from  England  of  nearly  four  years. 


GENERAL      INDEX. 


Aborigines,  Australian,  1S5,  iSS,  204,  205. 

Abrolhos  Bank,  iS. 

Aconcagua,  82. 

Adelaide,  201. 

Admiralty,  I. 

"Adventure,"  H.M.S.,  I. 

Adzes,  stone,  163. 

Africa,  2  ;  coast  of,  in  sight,  241. 

African  Islands,  218,  226. 

Albany  Island,  193. 

Albatrosses,  22  ;  flight  of,  89,  141. 

Aldabra  Island,  215. 

"Alert,"  H.M.S.,  2. 

Algoa  Bay,  244. 

Alikhoolips,  55. 

Allen,  Captain,  183. 

Almirante  Cochrane,  41. 

Alphonse  Island,  230,  232. 

Altamirano  Bay,  134. 

Amadtha,  164. 

America,  South,  I. 

Amirante  Islands,  2,  2lS,  225. 

Andalicn  River,  97. 

Angol,  99,  100. 

Angona,  163. 

Annita,  attacked  by  Fuegians,  55. 

Anson,  Commodore,  54. 

Ant-Thnish,  habits  of,  142. 

Anuario  Hydrngrafico,  130. 

Apparatus  Boats,  197. 

Arabs,  242. 

Araucania,  95. 

Araucanians,  29. 

Arctic  Expedition,  2. 

Arnaud,  Mons.,  131,  135. 

Atoll,  227,  229. 

Australia,  i,  180. 

Axes,  Fuegian,  52. 

Azores,  245. 

Bahia  de  la  gcnte,  old  colony  at,  35. 
Bailie's  Soumling  Apparatus,  18. 
Baker,  Mr.,  of  Tonga,  170. 
Bakola,  162. 
Ball  at  Tahiti,  151. 


Balsam  Bog,  31. 

Bandurria,  36. 

Banka  Island,  210. 

Banks"  Group,  179. 

Banyans,  242. 

Butcher  Bird,  85. 

Baron  Collinson,  13. 

Barrier  Reef,  Great,  1 84. 

Barrier  reefs,  226,  228,  232. 

Basil  Hall,  Captain,  S3. 

Batteries,  crushing,  203. 

Bau,  160,  162. 

Baudon,  Mons.,  230. 

Bca,  town  of,  170,  173. 

Beagle  Channel,  56. 

"Beagle,"  ll.M.S.,  1,  130. 

Beche-de-mer,  190. 

Beech-trees,  deciduous  and  evergreen,  36, 

80. 
Bell,  Mr.  F.  J..  71. 
Bellavista,  24. 
Bethel],  Lieut.  G.  R.,  3. 
Berberry  pl.ants.  35.  38.  41.  104. 
Bcrcsford,  Sub-Lieut.  C,  4.  69. 
Berlaut,  Mons..  222. 
Biobio  River,  95,  98,  99. 

Bird  Island,  Australia,  192. 

Bird  Island,  Seychelles,  211— 219. 

Birds  of  Amirantes,  223,  224. 
,,       I'cckett  Harbour,  38. 
,,       Tort  Darwin,  207. 
„       Seychelles,  212,  213. 
,,       St.  Ambrose,  86. 
,,       T.-ihiti.  150. 
,,       Torres  Straits,  200,  201. 

Black,  Mr.,  244. 

Black  police,  1 85. 

Bligh,  Lieutenant,  168. 

Bois  Blanc,  233. 
„  Cu  Cu.  233. 
,,    D'aimanthc,  222.  236. 

Bolsa,  31. 

Bombcros,  81. 

Bonitoes,  13. 

Booby  Isbnd,  199. 


General  Index. 


247 


Boomerangs,  186,  189,  206. 

Borja  Bay,  40. 

Boudeuse,  frigate,  145. 

„         Island,  225,  226. 

lougainville,  Mons.  de,  145. 

louHty,  n.M.S.,  168. 
Eowen,  town  of,  18S. 
Boyd,  Mr.,  178. 
Brazen  Head,  10. 
Brazo  del  Norte,  iii. 

Brazo  Point,  59. 

3renehley,  173. 

iridges,  Mr.,  113. 

Jrillador,  mines  of,  93,  94. 

Iritish  Museum,  54. 

Irodie,  Mr.,  214,  215. 

Irooks,  Dr.,  216,  232. 

luckets,  bark,  53. 

luckley,  the  sealer,  113,  116. 

luenos  Ayres,  13,  28,  29. 

Bullock,  collision  with,  loi. 

Bure  Kalou,  162,  i66. 
Bureta,  village  of,  166. 
Burial  of  Fuegians,  56. 
Burmeister,  Dr.,  29. 
Burney's  voyages,  54,  68. 
Bushes,  wind-swept,  109. 
Butcher  bird,  183. 
Byron,  Commodore,  51. 
Byron  Island,  103. 

Cache  Diablo,  68. 

Cacobau,  King  of  Fiji,  159,  160,  165. 

Caju,  242. 

Calamary,  139. 

Calandria,  26. 

Callaghan,  Governor,  31. 

Canal  of  Fitzroy,  128,  136. 

Canary  Islands,  12. 

Canoe,  Fijian,  163. 

„       Fucgian,  43,  51,  64. 
Cape  Bowling  Green,  igo. 

,,     de  Verdes,  15. 

,,     Gamboa,  66,  71. 

,,     Gregory,  34. 

,,     of  Good  Hope,  2,  244. 

,,     Santa  Maria,  21. 

,,     Tres  Montes,  103. 

„     Virgins,  34. 

,,     Pigeon,  18,  105,  141. 
Carouru,  38. 
Carpincho,  26. 
Casiniiro,  29. 
Cassidy,  Mr.,  242. 
Catholic  mission,  169. 
Cave  at  Port  Rosario,  69. 

„  Tongatabu,  176. 

Cedar,  42. 
Cedre,  233. 


Cerf  Islets,  232. 
Cetaceans,  72. 
Ceylon,  210. 
Chacabuco,  41. 
Challenger,  voyage  of,  77. 
Channel  Fuegians,  42,  48,  56,  103,  123. 
Chasm  Reach,  79. 
Chickens,  gone  wild,  220. 
Chili  at  war,  81. 
Chilian,  99. 
Chinamen,  203. 
Chrysalis  at  sea,  21. 
Clack  Island,  191. 
Clairemonl  Islands,  192. 
Clark,  Mr.,  98 — loi. 
Climate  of  West  Patagonia,  45. 
Coal  apparatus  at  St.  Vincent,  15. 
Coalmines,  Skyring,  131. 
Cockatoos,  white,  185. 
Cockle  Cove,  104. 
Coco-de-mer,  214,  215. 
Cocoa-nuts,  method  of  planting,  232. 
,,  at  Seychelles,  215. 

1.  ,.   170- 

Colombo,  210. 
Colon,  trip  to,  22. 
Comoro  Islands,  240. 
Compania  smelling  works,  93,  94. 
Concepcion  Channel,  59,  103,  112. 

,,  town  of,  95,  96,  141. 

Conferva,  oceanic,  13,  177. 
Cook,  Captain,  145,  168,  173. 

,,      Mr.  William,  4. 
Cooktown,  190. 
Copigue,  46. 

Copper  trade  at  Coquimbo,  83. 
Coppinger,  Dr.  R.  W.,  4. 
Copra,  147. 
Copra-mill,  216 — 217. 
Coquimbo,  82,  93,  142. 
Coral  on  ship's  bottom,  151. 
Corals,  distribution  of,  221. 
Coral,  red,  234. 

Cordillera,  64,  75,  89,  99,  128,  135. 
Corea,  steamship.  194.  198. 
Cormorants,  42.  106,  107,  no.  iii. 
Covadonga  Islands,  137,  139. 
Corona  Ishind,  127. 
Cox,  Mr.,  of  Talcahuano,  62. 
Coypo  of  Magellan,  48. 
Crabs  at  African  Island,  219. 
Crania,  179. 
Croker,  Captain,  170. 
Crooked  Reach,  117,  124. 
Crosshatchings,  75. 
Culebras  bank.  177. 
Cunningham,  Mr.,  of  Beagle,  191. 
Cunningham,  Dr.,  of  Nassau,  61. 
Ciirafoa,  voyage  of,  1 73 


248 


General  Index. 


Currant-bush,  134. 

Danger  Islands.  154. 
Darros  Island.  221,  225.  226. 
Danvin.  Mr.,  27.  31,  83,  97,  106. 
Davita,  our  guide.  171. 
/)aj'0/ sloop,  146.  151.  152. 
Dean  Island.  185.  186. 
Deedes,  Lieutenant  James,  3. 
Deer,  in  West  Patagonia.  64. 
Delgado  Bay,  59. 
D'Entrecasteaux,  168. 
Dcs  Neufs  Island,  225,  226. 
Diadem  Peak,  146. 
Diddle-dee,  31,  41. 
Dido,  H.M.S.,  159- 
Dinwoodie,  Mr.  John,  4. 
Dolphin,  144. 

Drawings  by  aborigines.  191. 
Dredging  at  St.  Vincent,  16. 

,,  Madeira,  10 — 11. 

,,  Hotspur  Bank.  18. 

,,  Victoria  Bank.  19. 

Port  Molle.  187. 

„  other,  193,  207,  217.  221. 

Drongo,  207. 
Duck,  crested,  38,  68. 
Du  Lise  Island,  237. 
Dungeness  Point,  34. 
Dunsmuir,  Mr.,  37. 
Dupuys,  Mr.,  232. 
Durazno,  trip -to,  24. 

Eagle  Island,  220.  225.  226.  227. 

Earthquake  at  Coqaimbo,  83. 

Elast,  Sub-Lieut.  W.,  4. 

Eastern  Archipelago,  209. 

Eastlake,  Mr.,  181. 

Eden  Harbour.  104. 

Edwards,  Captain.  168. 

Edye,  Mr.,  of  Durazno,  27. 

Eels,  voracious,  219. 

Egg  of  Epiornis,  244. 

Eighth-Degree  Channel.  210. 

Elevation  of  land,  83,  128,  134,  13S,  171, 

175,  201.  227.  228. 
Elizabeth  Island,  Paumotus,  228. 

,,  ,,         Magellan,  38. 

Ellis,  the  missionary,  145. 
Elton,  Mr.,  141. 
England,  return  to,  243. 
English  Narrows,  79,  104,  123.  139. 
Etoile  Island.  225,  226. 
Equatorial  current,  7. 
Evans,  Sir  Frederick,  3. 
Eyre  Sound,  glacier  at,  79,  137. 

Fakaata  or  Bowditch  Island,  1 54.  158. 
Falkland  Islands,  77.  31. 


Fallos  Channel,  iii. 

Favorite,  H.M.S.,  I70. 

Fayal,  245. 

Felis,  sealing  vessel,  113. 

Fenton,  Dr.,  of  Sandy  Point,  36,  117. 

Ferns,  200 

,,      of  Amirantcs.  223. 

,,  Patagonian  Channels,  46. 

Fiji,  2,  159.  167. 
Finisterrc.  Cape,  5. 
Fire,  Fuegian,  44,  53. 

Firestone,  Fuegian,  119,  120,  121.  j 

Finow,  Tonga  chief,  168.  ' 

Fish,  63,  218. 
Fish-weirs,  Fuegian,  125. 
FiUroy,  Admiral,  48,  54,  55,  65,  130. 

,,        Island.  190.  19S. 
Flinders  Island,  192. 
Flint-flaking,  119. 
Flora  of  Amirantes,  222,  223. 
„       Du  Lise  Island,  237. 
,,       Pro\"idence  Island,  233. 
Flowering    plants,    Patagonian   Channels 

46.80. 
Flycatchers,  183. 
Flying  fish.  12. 
Flytrap  plant,  93. 
Fox  of  Falklands,  33. 
Foxbats,  173. 
Francisco  B.-iy,  71,  72. 
Frcia,  German  vessel,  123. 
Friendly  Islanders.  175. 
Fringing  reefs.  226. 
Fuegians,  Channel,  49. 
Funchal,  Madeira,  8,  9,  lo,  11. 
Fur-seal  of  Magellan,  114. 

Garajas,  Point,  10. 

Gatcombe  Head,  180. 

Gates  at  Tongatabu,  169. 

Gaucho,  23. 

George,  King  of  Tonga.  172. 

Giant's  Causeway.  15. 

Glacier,  m.irks  of  old,  66,  74. 

Glacier  at  Glacier  Bay,  124,  125. 

Gladstone,  town  of,  182. 

Glasgow  Bank,  f.ailure  of,  13  , 

Globigerina  ooze.  18. 

Glorioso  Group,  237. 

Godeffroy  &  Co.,  169. 

Goldfields  of  North  Australia,  203. 

Goldmines  at  Sandy  Point,  36. 

Goode  Island,  198. 

Goose,  Brent,  57. 

,,      Kelp.  56,  57.  104. 

„      Upland,  38,  39. 
Gordon,  Sir  Arthur,  164. 
Gott,  Mr.,  208. 
I    Grabham.  Dr.,  II. 


General  Index. 


249 


Grallina,  183. 
Grasstrees,  181. 
Graves  of  Fuegians,  54. 
Gray  Harbour,  139. 
Grebe,  38. 
Greenstone,  74,  77. 
Grenfell,  Lieutenant,  4. 
Guanacoes,  34. 
Guia  Narrows,  73. 
Gulf  Stream,  7. 
Gulf-weed,  7. 
Gulls,  habits  of,  60. 

,,         ,,       of  Talcahuano,  97. 
Gunn,  Lieutenant  Gordon,  4,  27. 
Giinther,  Dr.,  137,  139. 

Haase,  Mr.,  131. 

Hailstone  rock,  75. 

Hale  Cove,  140. 

Halicott,  Mr.,  153. 

Hammond  Island,  198. 

Hanslip,  Mr.,  175. 

Hapai  Islands,  168,  169. 

Haswell,  Mr.,  180,  183,  185,  191,  200. 

Hawk,  15. 

Hawksworth's  voyages,  144. 

Henderson  &  Co.,  157. 

Hermit  crabs,  221. 

Hickey,  John,  231. 

Hifo,  village  of,  173,  175. 

Hinchinbrock  Island,  190. 

Hindo.stan,  242. 

Holloway,  Mr.,  11. 

Honey-eater,  183. 

Horn  Island,  198. 

Horses  of  Sandy  Point,  37. 

Hoskyn  Cove,  79. 

Hotel  Universal,  at  Buenos  Ayres,  28. 

,,     Oddo,  at  Santiago,  90. 
Iloyaeux,  Mons.,  232,  235. 
Iluemul,  55,  91. 
Huillin,  98. 
Huts  of  Fuegians,  53. 
Hydroid  coral,  71. 

Iceberg  Sound,  104. 

Icebergs  in  Messier  Channel,  104. 
Icy  Inlet,  137. 
,,  Reach,  79. 
Independencia,  rock  at,  24 
Indian  Reach,  137. 
India-rubber  trade,  241. 
Inocentes  Channel,  112. 
hahcUa^  labour  versci,  181. 
Isla  de  Ids  Reyes,  96. 
Island  harbour,  80,  104. 
Isle  des  Roches,  223,  225,  226,  229. 
Isthmus  Bay,  41. 
Ivi  tree,  172.  . 


Jerome  Channel,  117,  127,  136. 
Joashim  Suarez,  26. 
Joe,  Ratu,  159,  160,  163. 

Kaicolos,  165,  166. 

Kanakas,  196. 

Kava,  174. 

King  Charles  South  Land,  56. 

Kingfisher,  107. 

King  George's  Island,  144. 

Kitchen-middens  at  Tom  Bay,  57. 

Kite,  Australian,  207. 

Komba  Island,  209. 

Kosmos  Line,  35,  64. 

La  Compania,  91. 
,,  Ranee  Bank,  177. 
„  Sagittaria,  144. 
,,  Venus,  frigate,  145. 
Labour  vessels,  155.  181. 
Lagoon  at  Tom  Bay,  58. 
Lalis,  161. 

Lalia  Rookh  Bank,  158. 
Lambert,  Mr.,  84,  93. 
Lamire,  sealer,  55.  74. 
Land-crab,  200. 
Landshells,  62,  200. 
Larikias,  204. 
Latitude  Cove,  112. 
Las  Cardas,  trip  to,  84. 
„    Piedras,  25. 
,,    Tablas,  Bay  of,  loi. 
Lasikaus,  162. 
Latorre,  Captain,  130,  131. 
Laughing  jackass,  183. 
Lawrence,  Mr.,  of  Concepcion,  98. 
Leadbetter,  Captain,  123. 
Letore,  Senor,  of  Uruguay,  23. 
Levuka,  Fiji,  159,  160,  165,  178. 
Lifonga,  16S. 

Limestone,  "ripple-markcd,"  68. 
Limpets,  48,  67. 
Lisbon,  6. 
Livoni,  165. 

,,      River,  166. 
Lizards,  199,  220. 
Lizard  Island,  190. 
Llallai,  90,  92. 
Lobos  Island,  21. 
London  Missionary  Society,  158. 
Long  Island.  184. 
Loo  Rock,  9. 
Low,  Mr.,  54. 
Lucas  sounding  machine,  7- 

Maafu,  1.72. 
Machico,  9. 

Maclear,   Captain  John,    3,   82,   98,    173, 
174,  191- 


250 


General  Index. 


Macolos,  241. 

Madagascar,  231,  237,  243. 

Madeira.  5.  7,  8,  9,  12. 

Madre  de  Dios  Island,  47. 

Madura  Island,  209. 

Magellan,  Straits  of,  I,  34,  112,  117,  127. 

Magcllanes,  Chilian  vessel,  gunboat  or  cor- 
vette, 40,  130. 

Mahe,  211,  213.  214.  218. 
Malacca.  .Straits  of,  2,  2lo. 

Malay  ArchipeKigo.  2. 

Maldive  Islands,  210. 

Maldonado  Point,  21. 

MallicoUo,  New  Hebrides,  179, 

Manga  Reva  Island,  152. 

Mariner  of  Tonga,  168,  169. 

Martin,  Dr.  John,  169. 

Maranhense,  s.s.,  123.  124. 

Marie  Louise  Island,  225,  226. 

Matavai  Bay,  144. 

Mate  drinkin",  28. 

MaurcUe,  168. 

Mauritius,  214. 

Mayne,  Adam,  157. 
,,      Harbour,  42. 

Mayotte  Island,  240. 

Mc  Corkill.  Mr..  165. 

Megalithic  structure,  173. 

Mendaila,  144. 

Merilava,  179. 

Mequin  Pass,  90. 

Messier  Channel,  103,  104,  III,  123. 

Miers,  Mr.  E.  J.,  II. 

Moa,  town  of,  173. 

Monsoons,  206. 

Montague  Bank,  20. 

Monte,  27. 

Montenegro,  90,  92. 

Monte  Video,  22,  124. 

Moraine  profonde,  76. 

Moreno,  Senor,  30. 

Morice,  Dr.,  204. 

Morne,  Captain,  166. 

Moseley,  Mr.,  166. 

Moss,  curious  growth  of,  108. 

Moths  on  the  ocean,  20. 

Mound  bird,  201. 

Mozambique,.  2. 

,,  Island,  240,  241,  242. 

Mulhall,  Mr.,  30. 

Museums  at  Buenos  Ayres,  28,  29. 

Mussels,  48,  67. 

Nares,  Sir  George,  2,  3,  If,  63,  82,  106. 

Narrows,  English,  62. 

„         First,  34. 

,,         Guia. 
Nassau,  H.M.S.,  i,  54. 
,,  Island,  152. 


Natives  of  West  Patagonia,  48. 
New  Hebrides,  179. 
North,  Mr.  Frederick,  4,  43. 
Nouvelle  Cythcre,  145. 
Nuku.alofa,  169,  170,  175. 
Nukunono  Island,  154,  158. 
Nutria,  58,  97,  126. 

Oatafu  Island,  154,  155. 
Obstruction  Sound,  55,  65. 
O'Neil,  Mr.,  242. 
Oranges,  148. 
Orchids,  199. 
Ores  of  copper,  94. 
Organ-pipe  Range,  67. 
Ostriches  of  Uruguay,  26. 
Otaheite,  145. 
Otter  of  Magellan,  48,  58. 
Otway  Water,  117,  127,  128. 
Ovalau,  159,  160,  165,  166. 
Oyster-catcher,  39,  55,  68. 

Pachuros,  142. 

Palmas,  12. 

Palmerston,  town  of,  201,  202. 

Pampas,  97. 

Pandora,  168. 

Paofai,  151. 

Papiete,  146. 

Paraquay  tea  or  "  yerba,"  29. 

Parlett,  Mr.,  242. 

Paroquets,  183. 

Parr,  Mr.,  of  Fiji,  165,  166. 

Parrayon,  Mons.,  151. 

Partridge,  red-legged,  220. 

Patagonia,  128,  136. 

Patent  Log  injured  by  sharks,  82. 

Pau  Mountain,  242. 

Paumotus,  22S. 

Payne,  Mr.  Alfred,  4. 

Pearls,  198. 

Pearl-shell  of  Alphonse  Island,  231. 

Pearl-shelling,  194,  196,  197. 

Peat  avalanche,  31. 

Pecher.iys,  55,  123. 

Peckett  Harbour,  38. 

"Peeter,"  156. 

Pelagic  animals,  17,  168,  179. 

Penas,  gulf  of,  48,  51,  73,  So,  103. 

Penco,  95,  96,  99. 

Percy  Islands,  1S3. 

Petrels,  13,  17,  87,  88,  S9,  105. 

Petley,  Lieutenant  W.  II.,  4,  185. 

Philippi,  Dr.,  90. 

Phosphorescence,  8. 

Picton  Channel,  73,  74. 

„       town,  51. 
Pigafetta,  140. 
Pilot  fish,  13, 


General  Index. 


25 » 


Pinery  at  Madeira,  II. 
Plate  River,  21,  112. 
Playa  Parda  Cove,  41,  124. 
Plaza  de  Armas,  90. 

,,     Vittoria,  30. 
Plymouth,  sail  from,  5. 

,,  return  to,  245. 

Point  Venus,  149. 
Poivre  Island,  222,  226. 
Pomare,  King,  146. 

,,        Queen,  145. 
Porpoises,  14. 
Port  Albany,  193. 

,,    au-Prince,  168. 

,,     Charua,  75. 

,,     Curtis,  180. 

,,    Darwin,  201,  202,  204,  206. 

,,    Denison,  188,  189. 

,,    Elizabeth,  244. 

,,    Famine,  35. 

,,    Gallant,  122. 

,,    Grappler,  79. 

,,     Henry,  59,  62,  66,  67,  68. 

„     Molle,  184,  185,  186. 

,,    Riofrio,  137. 

,,     Rosario,  47,  69. 

,,    Tamar,  i. 
Portage  for  canoes,  42,  59. 
Portland  Bay,  63. 
Porto  Santo,  7,  15. 
Portuguese,  241,  242. 
Possession  Island,  198. 
Praslin  Island,  214. 
Prince  of  Wales  Channel,  194. 

,,         ,,         Island,  19S. 
Protectorate,  French,  146. 
Providence  Island,  231.  232,  237. 
P.S.N.C.  (Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Com- 
pany). 35- 
Puerto  Bueno,  137, 
Punta  Wallichii,  29. 

Queensland,  180. 
Quillapan,  98,  99,  100,  loi. 
Quiriquina  Island,  loi. 
Quiros,  Pedro  de,  144. 

Rada  de  las  Minas,  130. 
Railway  at  Coquimbo,  83. 
Rainfall  in  W.  Patagonia,  45. 
Raised  beach,  138. 
Rat,  white-tailed,  184. 
Ratu,  159. 

Rescue,  sealing  vessel,  112. 
Rewa  River,  165. 
Richards,  Mr.,  94. 
Ridley,  Mr.  S.  O.,   18,  71. 
Rio  Grande,  84. 
Rio  Negro,  26. 


Robleria,  bridge  at,  99,  loi. 
Roca  Pallida,  54. 
Roches  moutonndos,  76. 

,,      perchees,  76. 
Rock  of  W.  Patagonia,  47. 
Rock-drill  at  work,  94,  95. 
Rookery,  seal,  49,  136. 
Rooper,  Lieut.  G.,  3,  139. 
Root-of-war,  160, 

San  Antonio,  15. 

„    Rosendo,  99. 
Sandy  Point,  35,  36,  37,  112,  113. 
Santa  Cruz  River,  29. 
,,      Fe,  99. 
„      Ines  Island,  117. 
„     Lucia  de  Santiago,  91. 
„         ,,      de  Uruguay,  25. 
Santiago  de  Chile,  89,  90,  91,  99. 
Sapodie  Island,  209. 
.Sargasso  Sea,  8. 
Sarmiento,  35,  68. 

,,  Channel,  41. 

Sauve  Souris,  233. 
Sea  lion,  44. 

Seals,  breeding  time  of,  48. 
Seal-hunting,  hardships  of,  11  J. 
.Sealskins,  v,alue  of,  114. 
Seal  trade  in  Magellan  Waters,  114. 
Sea-water,  discoloured,  13,  141,  177 
Seychellc  Islands,  2,  210,  214,  230. 
Shark,  13,  158. 

Shell  Terraces  of  Coquimbo,  83. 
.Shrikes,  183. 
Silvertop  Mountain,  69. 
Simon's  Bay,  244. 
Singapore,  2,  209,  210. 
Skua,  Antarctic,  no,   141. 
.Skull  of  Fucgian,  70. 
Skyring  Water,  55,  127,  128,  130. 
Small-pox,  141,  206. 
.Smith,  Mr.  Kdgar,  62,  139. 
Smyth's  Channel,  130,  137. 
Snipe,  Magellan,  137. 
Soil-Motion,  75. 
Soilcap,  structure  of,  47. 
Solomon  Islands,  iSl. 
Sombrero  Island,  103. 
Somerset,  settlement  of,  193. 
Southport,  203,  204. 
.Sparrowhawk,  5. 
Spears  of  Channel  Fuegians,  52. 
Sphynx  Moths,  20. 
Spider,  Trapdoor,  1 18. 
St.  Ambrose  Iskind,  85,  86,  87. 

„  Felix  IsKind,  85. 

„   Helena,  245. 

„   Pierre,  236. 

„  Vincent,  15. 


25- 


General  Index. 


Staffa  Columns,  15. 
Stanley  Harbour,  31. 
Starling,  soldier.  38. 
Steamer  ducks.  39,  55.  61,  62,  104. 
Stole.  John.  112. 

Stone  Runs  of  Falk].-inds.  32,  77,  78. 
Straits  of  Magellan,  1. 
Strangers'  Club,  29. 
Structure  of  Amirantes,  226,  227. 
„       ,.  Oceanic  Islands,  218. 
.Submarine  cable,  202. 
Sumatra,  210. 
Sumbawa,  209. 
Suva.  167,  179. 
Swallow  at  sea,  7. 
Swallow  Bay,  125,  136. 
Swan,  black-necked,  112,  129,  136. 
Swift  at  sea,  209. 
Swifts  in  cave.  176. 
Sydney,  166,  167.  180. 
Syenite,  74,  76. 
Symonds,  Mr.,  175. 

Table  Mountain,  241. 

Tahiti,  144. 

Talca,  99. 

Talcahuano,  95,  96,  loi,  141. 

Tamitao,  150. 

Tanjon  Paggar,  210. 

Tapa,  162. 

Tapacola,  85. 

Tasman,  168. 

Tea-plant,  31. 

Tehuelches,  30. 

Tekeenicas.  55. 

Tema  Reef,  153. 

Terotero,  97. 

Thompson,  Sir  William,  7. 

„    Wy\Tlle,  21,  32,  77. 
Thouars,  Admiral  du  Petit,  145. 
Thrush  of  Magellan,  37. 
Thursday  Island,  194,  196. 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  34,  112. 
Tilly  Bay.  118,  125,  127,  136,  1 17. 
Timor  Island,  209. 

Tom  Bay,  42,  43,  56,  57,  60,  61,  iii,  112. 
Tonga  Islands,  168,  169. 
Tonga,  Mr.  David,  173. 
Tongatabu,  167,  169. 
Torres  Straits,  194,  195,  180,  201. 
Tortoise  of  Aldabra,  215. 
Totoonga  Valley,  165. 
Topar  Island,  78. 
Tower  at  Funchal,  9. 
Trammel  net.  60. 
Treachery  of  Fuegians,  112. 


Tree  silicified,  102. 

Trees  of  \V.  Patagonia,  46. 

Trepangs.  190. 

Tribes  of  Fuegians,  55. 

Trinidad  Channel,  54,  68,  71,  73,  75,  103, 

104,  III. 
Tiumpet-shells,  67. 
Tucker,  Captain,  198. 
Tucutuco.  26,  27,  35.  38. 
Turtle,  21,  219,  231,  233. 

Uea,  175. 

Union  Group,  154. 

Uruguay,  22. 

Ushuwia,  mission  station,  56,  1 12. 

Valparaiso,  3,  78,  80,  82,  89,  90,  93. 
Vanilla,  148,  216,  223. 
Vavau,  169. 

Veloutier  Blanc.  233,  237. 
„       Tabac,  233,  236. 
Venus,  transit  of,  145. 
Vereker.  Lieut,  the  Hon.,  3,  10. 
Veronica,  67. 
Victoria  Bank,  20. 
ViclorUuse,  ironclad,  146. 
Vines  at  Madeira,  12. 
Viti  Le™,  162,  165,  160,  167. 
Vocabulary  of  Fuegian  words,  122. 
Vunivalu,  160. 

Wager  Island,  103. 
,,      Loss  of,  51. 
Waidou,  179. 
Wallis,  Captain,  144. 
War  canoes,   148. 
Ware,  Mr.,  of  Durazno,  27. 
Water-kite,  6,  7. 
Watts,  Dr.,  32. 

Weir,  Mr.,  of  Compania,  84.  93,  94,  95. 
Wellington  Island,  73,  78,  III,  138. 

Gnu,  172,  173. 
Weslcyan  Missionaries,  169. 
West  Island,  198. 
Wetter  Island,  209. 
Whales  and  shrimps,  72. 
Wide  Channel,  78,  137. 
Wilkes,  Captain,  149. 
Wilson,  Mr.,  29. 
Winter's  Bark  Tree,  36. 
Wolsey  Sound,  68. 
Woomerahs,  205. 

Yacanas,  55. 
Yi,  River,  27. 
Yoronha,  147. 


INDEX    OF    NATURAL    HISTORY    TERMS. 


ZOOLOGICAL. 


Mammals,  genera  and  species  of: — 
Arctocephalus  Falklandicus,  1 14. 
Cervus  Chilensis,  64,  91. 
Chlamydophorus  relusiis,  30. 
Ctenomys,  27,  35,  38,  129,  142,  143. 
Epiodon,  30. 
Glyptodon,  29. 
Hydromys,  184. 
Lutra  felina,  58,  115,  137. 

,,      Huidobrio,  98. 
Machairodon,  29. 
Mylodon,  29. 

Myopotamus  coypu,  58,  97,  126,  137. 
Otaria  jubata,  44,  114. 
Physeter  macrocephalus,  20. 
Pteropus  Keraudrenii,  173. 
Toxodon,  29. 

Birds,  genera  and  species  of  \ — 
^gialitis,  201. 

Anas  cristata,  38,  39,  68,  136. 
Anous,  186, 

Anseranas  melanoleuca,  208. 
Artamus,  200. 
Bemicia  antarctica,  56. 
Bruchigavia,  201. 
Buteo  erythronotus,  129. 
Campephaga,  2Cx3. 
Centrites  niger,  37,  38. 
Centropus,  201. 
Ceiyle  stellata,  107. 
Chcttura.  209. 
Chalcophaps,  201. 
Chibia,  201. 

,,        bracteata,  207. 
Chloephaga  magellanica,  38,  57- 

,,  poliocephala,  57. 

Cinclodes,  39,  129,  133. 
Climacteris,  201. 
Collocalia  spodiopygia,  176. 
Cygnus  nigricollis,  112,  136. 

,,        coscoroba,  136. 
Dacelo,  201. 

gig.as,  183. 
Daplion  Capensis,  18,  87,  141. 
Dicccum,  200. 


Birds,  getura,  etc.,  of{ccmlinued): — 
Diomedea  exulans,  22. 

,,         fuliginosa.  22,  141. 

,,         melanophrys,  89,  141. 
Donacola,  201. 

„        castaneothorax,  207. 
Epiornis,  244. 
Erythrauchena,  20i. 
Foudia  Madagascarensis,  224. 
Gallinago  Strickland!,  137. 
Gallinula,  209, 
Geopelia,  201. 

,,        placida,  207. 
Grallina,  201,  207. 

,,  picata,  183. 
Graucalus,  183,  201. 
Hcematopus,  201. 

,,  ater,  56. 

,,  leucopus,  56. 

Halcyon,  201. 

„         sanctus,  201. 
Haliaster,  207. 
Halicetus  leucogaster,  181. 
Larus  Dominicanus,  60,  97. 
,,      glaucodes,  97. 
„      niaculipennis,  97. 
Lestris  antarctica,  141. 
Megapodius,  201. 

„  tumulus,  201. 

Merops,  201. 
Mimeta,  201,  208. 
Myiagra,  201. 

,,         plumbea,  201. 
Myzantha  garrula,  183. 
Myzomcla,  200. 
Nectarinia,  200. 

,,  Australia,  201. 

Nycticorax,  201. 

,,  Caledonicus,  201. 

Oceanites  grallaria:=T.  gracilis,  141. 
(Edicnemus.  201. 
Oistrclata  delilippiani,  86,  101. 
Ossifr.aga  gigantea.  87. 
Pachycephala.  200. 
Pelccanoides  urinalrix,  loG. 
Pelicanus,  201. 


?54 


Special  Index — Zoological. 


Birds,  genera,  etc.,  of  (continuedy. — 
Phalacrocorax  magellanicus.  io6. 

,,  imperialis,  lo6. 

Piezorhjtichus  nitidus,  207. 
Plictolophus,  201. 
Porphyrio  melanotus,  20 1. 
Pleroptochus,  85,  129, 

,,  albicollis,  85. 

Ptilinopus,  201. 

,,         superbus.  201. 
„         Swainsoni,  201. 
Rilotis,  184,  200. 
Sauloprocta,  201. 

Stercorarius  chilensis=L.  antarctica,  1 10. 
Sterna,  20 1. 
Sphecotheres,  201. 
Sula,  86. 

Tachyeres  cinereus,  56,  61. 
Thalassidroma  leucogaster,  87. 
„  LeacMi,  5. 

„  pelagica,  5,  13,  18. 

„  Wilsoni,  87. 

Trichoglossus,  200. 

,,  chrysocolla,  183. 

„  Novce     HoUandis,     183, 

208. 
,,  rubitorquis,  183,  208. 

Troglodytes,  129. 
Tropidorhynchus,  201. 
Tropidorhynchus,  comiculatus,  183. 
Turtur,  238. 
Upucerlhia,  142. 

,,  dumetoria.  1 42, 

Zosterops,  201,  207,  238. 

Reptiles,  genus  and  species  of: — 
Monitor,  199. 
Sphargis,  coriacea,  30. 

Batrachians,  genns  of: — 
Cacotus,  139. 

Fishes,  genera  and  species  of: — 
CaIlorh)'nchus  antarcticus,  7 1 . 
Exocetus  volitans,   12. 
Galaxias,  63. 
Haplochiton  zebra.  63. 
Myxine,  35. 
Naucrates  ductor,  13. 
Neophrynicthys  latus.  1 37. 
Periophthalmus,  1 66,  218. 
Platycephalus,  193. 
Squalus  glaucus,  13. 
Thinnus  pelamis,  13. 

Molluscs,  genera,  etc.,  of: — 
Area.  16,  22,  39,  187,217. 
Atlanta,  179. 
Baculites,  102. 


Molluscs,  genera,  etc.,  of  {continued):- 
Bulimus  Beddomei,  200. 
Bulla.  235. 
Calyptroea.  70. 
Cardium,  10,  16,  102. 
Chilinia,  62,  63,  1 39. 
Chiton,  70. 

Cleodora  p)Tamiciata,  19. 
Concholepas.  67,  68. 
Conus,  235.  240. 
Criseis  aciculata,  6,  18,  19. 
Curieria,  18. 

Cyproea,  10,  187.  255.  240. 
„       mauritiana.  242. 
„      moneta.  240. 
,,       tigris.  242. 
Dentalium,  10.  22. 
Dolium,  235,  240. 
Eurj'bia  Gaudichaudi,  168,  179. 
Fissurella,  70. 
Fusus,  240,  242. 
Haliotis,  240,  242. 
Harpa,  16,  235. 
Ilelicina  reticulata.  200. 
Heli.x,  62. 

„      Buxtoni,  200. 

„       Delessertiana,  200. 

„       KrelTti.  200. 

„       Spaldingi,  200. 
Hippopus,  187. 
Hyalea,  17,  19,  22. 
lanthina,  17,  18. 
Lima,  187. 
Littorina,  16,  235. 
Mactra.  105. 
Melo,  192. 
Mytilus,  39. 
Nassa,  240. 
Natica,  240,  242. 
Nerita,  185. 
Neritina,  22 1.  240,  242. 
Oliva.  10,  240. 
Onychoteuthis  inogens,  139. 
Ostnea.  132,  185,  242. 
Patella.  16,  39,  70. 
Pecten,  10. 
Pinna,  187,  242. 
Pneumodermon.  19. 
Kanella,  207. 
Kossia,  71. 
Siliqu.aria,  185. 
Spirula.  16.  237. 
Stilifer.  188. 
Strombus,  l6. 
Succinea,  62. 
Terebra,  185. 
Teredo,  202. 
Tridacna,  187,  242. 
Trivia,  240. 


special  Index — Zoological. 


255 


Molluscs,  genera,  etc. ,  of  {continued) : 
Troehus,  39. 
Trophon,  39. 
Turbinella,  240. 
Unio,  62. 
Voluta,  39,  235,  242.     • 

PoLYZOA,  genera  of: — 
Amathea,  187. 
Biflustra,  187. 
Canda,  20. 

Cellepora.  20,  207,  187,  222. 
Cribrillina,  20. 
Crisia,  182,  187,  207,  222. 
Eschara,  18,  187.  207.  222. 
Gigantopora,  20. 
Lepralia,  207,  222. 
Idmonea,  207. 
Membranipora,  8,  20. 
Myriozoum,  1S7,  222. 
Retepora,  187,  207,  222. 
Rhyncopora,  20. 
Salicomaria,  187. 
Scrupocellaria,  187. 
Smittia,  20. 

TUNICATA,  ^f«cra  of: — 
Pyrosoma,  168. 
Salpa,  18. 

Insects,  genera,  etc.,  of: — 
Halobates,  17. 
Phylloxera  vastatrix,  12. 

Crustacea,  genera,  etc.,  of: — 
Acttea,  19. 

Alpheus,  182,  187,  193,  218. 
Arcturus,  71. 
Atergitus,  218. 
Birgus,  238. 
Corallana,  19. 
Calappa,  242. 
Egeria,  193. 
Galathea,  173,  217. 
Gehsimus,  172,  182,  218. 
Geograpsus,  200. 
Glaucothoe,  9. 
Goniograpsus,  187. 
Grapsus,  191,  218,  242. 

,,         variegatus,  86,  187,  219. 
Hiastemis,  1S7,  207. 
Huenia,  1S7. 
Lambris,  187,  207. 
Leiicosia,  191. 
LitlioJes  antaictica,  58. 
Macrophthalmus,  189,  2l8. 
Matuta,  189. 
Mycteris,  189. 
Myra,  187,  207. 
Ocypoda,  218,  219. 


Crustacea,  ^(TWfra,  etc.,  of  (continued) : 
Ozius,  182. 

Parampelia  saxicola,  191. 
Phlyxia,  191,  207. 
Phyllosoma,  18,  179. 
Pinnotheres,  187. 
Poreellana,  171,  218. 
Remites  scutellatus,  16. 
Scilh,  218. 
.Serolis,  71. 
Squilla,  187. 
Thalamites,  217. 
Thalassina,  182. 

ANNELlDA,/3/n»7)',  etc.,  of: — , 
Amphinomida:,  187. 
Nereis,  10. 
Polynoe,  187. 
Sagitta,   1 79. 
Spirorbis,  8,  13,  14,  19. 
Tomopteris,  142. 

Echinodermata,  ^^n«r<7,  etc.,  of  — 
Asteracanthus,  189. 
Asterias,  242. 
Astrophyton,  182,  187,  188. 

„  Lymani,  71. 

Cidaris,  11. 
Comatula,  187,  193. 
Ecliinus,  10,  70. 
Gephyrca,  40,  105. 
Goniocidaris,  1S7,  193. 
Hemiaster,  240. 
Holothuria,  187. 
Moliria,  222. 
Ophiuridea,'l87. 
Pentaceros,  193. 
Peronella,  189. 
Salmacis,  187. 
Spatangus,  191. 
Synapla,  193,  222. 

C/ELENTEBATA  : — 
Actinia,  17,  71. 
Astraa,  187. 
Caryophyllia,  187. 
Corallium  nibrum,  234. 
Fungia,  152. 
Gorgonia,  182,  187,  193. 
Labiopora,  71. 
Meandrina,  187. 
Medusa,  17. 
Orbicella,  187. 
Physalia.  17. 
Pluniularia,  187. 
Porites,  187. 
Scrtularia,  187,  222. 
Tubipora,  187. 

,.        musica,  240, 
Virgularia,  207. 


256 


special  Index — Botanical. 


Protozoa  : — 
Aphrocera,  20. 
AspctgiUum,  118. 
Chalina,  20. 
Cladochalina,  19. 
Globigerina,  14,  17. 
Grantia,  20. 


Protozoa  (continued) : — 
Nardoa,  20. 
Orbitolitcs,  6,  218. 
Pyrocyslis.  8,  19,  22,  1 79. 
ThalassicoUa,  179. 
Vioa,  20. 


BOTANICAL. 


Aleufites,  172. 
Alsophila,  140. 
Apocynacex,  233. 
Aristolochia,  93. 
Bajringtonia,  2 1 9. 

„  speciosa,  235. 

Berberis,  134. 

,,       empetrifolia,  46. 

„        ilicifolia.  42.  46.  104. 
Bougainvillea,  12. 
Calceolaria.  35. 

Campsidium  chilense,  44.  51,  So,  104. 
Cassytha  filiformis,  233. 
Casuarina,  212.  221,  222,  233. 
Cheilobothrium,  129,  134. 
Cinchonacea;,  223. 
Conferva,  13,  14.  18. 
ConvohTilacea;,  223. 
Dendrobium.  199. 
Desfontainea  Hookeri,  46. 
Drimys  Winter!,  44,  46,  53. 
Echium,  24. 

Embothrium.  46,  129,  1 34. 
Escallonia,  134. 
Fagus  antarctica,  46,  80. 
„      betuloides,  46,  80. 
Ficus,  222,  223. 
Fuchsia  magellanica,  42. 
Gaultheria  antarctica,  42. 
Goodeniacea;,  233. 
Gramineae,  238. 
Hepatici,  46. 
Ilernandia  peltata,  233. 
Hibiscus,  237. 
Hymenophyllum,  46,  62. 


Hymenophyllum  cnientum,  80,  13S. 

Ilex  Paraguayensis,  27. 

Jungermannix,  104. 

Lapageria  rosea.  46. 

Libocedus  tetragonus,  42,  44,  46,  52. 

Lindsaya  ensifolia,  200. 

Lychnis,  129. 

Lygodium  scandens,  200. 

Macrocystis,  40. 

Malvacex,  223,  238. 

Mesembryanthemum.  235. 

Mitraria  coccinea.  13S. 

Myrtus  nummularia.  35. 

Nephrolepis  acuta.  200. 

„         exaltata,  223. 
Panax,  134. 
Pandanus.  1 99. 
Philesia  buxifolia,  41,  42,  46. 
Polypodium  quercifolium,  200; 
Pulcea  nitida,  200. 
Ribes  magellanica.  134. 
Sargassum  bacciferum,  7. 
Scsevola  Koenigii,  223,  233. 
Solanacea;.  223.  238 
Spondias  dulcis  173 
Suriana  maritima,  222,  236. 
Tetraplodon  mnioides,  108,  138. 
Toumefortia,  212,  222,  236. 

„         argentea,  233. 
Vacciniaceas,  140. 
Veronica  decussala,  67. 
Weinmannia  trichosperma,  138. 
Xanthorrea,  181. 
Zostcra,  243. 


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